-
Trouble on our doorstep. Read all about it in the summer/fall edition of The Frontier Reporter
We had some political mayhem and the close of Lee Enterprises’ fiscal year, all of which has spelled trouble for the Guild. Check out new features and all the Guild news you may have from the summer and fall in the latest edition of The Frontier Reporter newsletter.
-
Guild executive committee minutes: Tuesday, April 4, 2017
President Sandy Tan called the meeting to order at 5:07 p.m, Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at The News’ second-floor conference room, One News Plaza.
VP for Contract Administration Aaron Besecker issued his committee report.
The committee is working on Gusto cover stories, Sunday home & style cover stories as well as an issue with management in which management may be doing layout work during the day.
VP for Mobilization Colin Dabkowski issued his committee report.
Dabkowski said a “debrief-type meeting” next week.
Our letter about diversity to the company is on hold for the time being; we would like to revive it.
-
Buffalo hosted national meeting of Multi-District Council members
Multi-District Council members visited Canalside. (Sandy Tan/Buffalo News) The Guild was pleased to host members of the NewsGuild-CWA’s 2017 Multi-District Council in June.
Several Buffalo News employees participated in the weekend’s meeting and interacted with members from across the country and Puerto Rico.
-
CWA convention delegates take stand on press freedom
CWA President Chris Shelton speaks at the 76th CWA Convention in Pittsburgh. (Photo courtesy of CWA) Times for journalists were difficult enough before November 2016 rolled around.
But a battered industry received more bad news with the election of an anti-press administration, which came amid a rising tide of attacks on journalists across the United States.
Press freedom was a central topic of conversation among those who attended the NewsGuild-CWA sector conference and the subsequent 76th CWA Convention in Pittsburgh from Aug. 4 to 8.
The Buffalo Newspaper Guild was represented at the sector conference by Guild President Sandy Tan and Administrative Officer Kim Leiser and at the CWA Convention by Guild Vice President for Mobilization Colin Dabkowski. Leiser served as an alternate to the convention.
-
District manager stewards needed
The Guild’s full-time and part-time district managers need people to serve as union stewards to represent their interests.
The district managers need representatives to ensure the company is being compliant with union rules and to educate Guild members on their rights. Stewards would also work with district managers in disciplinary situations to ensure employee rights are safeguarded. Stewards would also have a seat at the Guild’s Executive Committee, which meets monthly.
The last steward for district managers was Dick Fay who resigned from the post due to family commitments.
“District managers are vital members to the Guild,” said President Sandy Tan. “I’m genuinely concerned that they currently have very limited representation on the Executive Committee and no steward at the ground level who can ensure DMs receive all the protections their union provides.”
Representation from the district managers becomes vitally important as the Guild begins negotiations for the next contract in early 2018.
Please contact the Guild office at (716) 856-2828or email buffalonewsguild@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a steward.
-
Loss of Classified Advertising department brought mixed emotions
Editor’s note: The loss of the Classified department at The Buffalo News was a huge blow to the organization as a whole, but particularly to Guild membership. Emotions were high throughout the bargaining process and after the contract was ratified. The members of the Classified department held a small, private gathering on the department’s last day.
Thank you to Irene Bernhard, Margaret “Meg” Black, Rodney Chamberlain, Beverly Gniewiecki, Katherine Gumulak, Mary “Marcy” Lombardo, Renee Mikler, Sharon Steck, Patricia Toepfer, Jolene Rucinski, Alexa Finn and Collette Allen for their service. Jackie Kuma is now working in Accounting.
Bev, Gniewecki, a longtime employee of the department, was asked to write a column to describe how she felt about the loss of the Classified Advertising department at The Buffalo News.
-
Join the Labor Day Parade
Guild Members to March in Solidarity with WNY Workers
Aug. 18, 2017 — Please join us as the Buffalo Newspaper Guild marches in the annual AFL-CIO Labor Day Parade and Picnic on Monday, Sept. 4 in South Buffalo. The free event welcomes all Guild members, spouses, kids and well-behaved pets.
Even if you haven’t been to the Labor Day Parade in recent years, we hope you’ll make time for this fun event that celebrates workers and their achievements. The parade will head down Abbott Road in South Buffalo to Cazenovia Park, where free hotdogs, hamburgers, snacks and drinks will be provided to all. (more…)
-
Guild gains editorial jurisdiction at The Hamburg Sun
8.7.17 – The Guild reached an agreement last month with management at The News for editorial jurisdiction at The Hamburg Sun. At a time when the Guild is seeing a loss in members, particularly with the sad departure of our colleagues in Classified, this agreement represents a rare bright spot.
“Though this may only lead initially to the hire of a couple of part-time reporters at The Sun, this deal reflects a meeting of the minds between The News and the Guild to safeguard the journalistic integrity of any newspaper launched or relaunched by The News,” said President Sandy Tan.
The Sun is a relatively new startup with some circumstances unique to a weekly newspaper, so the Guild formed a subcommittee that spent weeks working to shape an agreement that would give managers the flexibility they said they need to stay financial viable while still carving out exclusive jurisdiction terms.
Among the highlights of the news agreement:
-
Guild executive committee minutes: Tuesday, July 18, 2017
President Sandy Tan called the meeting to order at 5:11 p.m, Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at The News’ second-floor conference room, One News Plaza.
VP for Contract Administration Aaron Besecker issued his committee report.
On July 10 two grievances were filed:
* One on Gentry Magazine and its lack of language identifying it as a marketing product.
* Niagara Weekend and contributed photos. .
VP for Mobilization Colin Dabkowski issued his committee report:
The first meeting of the diversity committee, created through the last round of bargaining, was a “good first meeting.” -
Next Guild membership meeting July 19
On Wednesday, July 19 at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., the Guild will hold its next quarterly membership meeting in the News Auditorium. Come for the food — we’ll have pizza and salad at both meetings — and stay for important news about the Guild’s work, its growth and the company’s plans for the building.
At the 5 p.m. meeting, financial advisor Len Picone will be on hand to give members pointers on managing their money in tricky economic times. Both meetings will offer a good chance to catch up on what the Guild’s has been up to since the contract was settled, and the work that lies ahead.
We hope to see you there.
-
Guild executive committee minutes: Wednesday, June 21, 2017
President Sandy Tan called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m, Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at The News’ second-floor conference room, One News Plaza.
VP for Contract Administration Aaron Besecker issued his committee report.The Guild and The News ended up settling a classified issue regarding funeral home advertisements; the agreement reached called for that guild member to be paid a commission.
A stringer story ran in City & Region at the end of April; it was an entertainment preview event story which ran with a staff reporter byline.A reporter took a photo for online, which is OK, but it was used in print on tease page.The Grievance Committee approved the filing of a grievance regarding the use of submitted photos in Niagara Weekend.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 