Voting to approve or reject the memorandum of agreement on vacation will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, in the small conference room across from the Advertising Department.

Only dues-paying members are eligible to vote. However, if you are not yet a dues-paying member, you can join just minutes before casting your ballot.

While the company has said it “will do the right thing for our employees as we have always done,” its actions on vacation tell a different story. The company has ended its long-standing practice of granting new employees two weeks of vacation on April 15. Instead, many new employees are now required to wait more than a year before becoming eligible for vacation.

We believe dropping this past practice is unfair and unhealthy for employees. It is one of the reasons we are asking members to vote on this memorandum of agreement separately from the rest of the contract.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Guild President Wendy Liberatore at 518-491-0454.

The MOA is as follows:

This Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”) is between The Capital Newspaper Division – The Hearst
Corporation and the Guild Newspaper Guild/CWA of Albany, The Newspaper Guild/CWA Local 31034
(AFL-CIO,CLC) , collectively referred to herein as the “Parties.”
VACATION AGREEMENT

The parties have reached a tentative agreement on the attached vacation language. This Vacation
Agreement is subject to a union ratification vote scheduled for August 4, 2026 and, if ratified, the terms
will be incorporated into a successor CBA when agreement is reached on an overall CBA.
Therefore, effective January 1, 2027, the parties agree that company will implement the following
vacation policy:
Eligibility
All regular, full-time employees are eligible for vacation days. Regular, part-time employees’
vacation will be pro-rated based on hours worked. Regular part-time employees are those
working more than 20 hours but less than 37.5. Temporary or seasonal employees are not
eligible for vacation.
Accrual of Vacation
Vacation accruals begin with the start of the next pay period following the employee’s date of
hire. In the years following an employee’s date of hire, vacation accruals begin with each new
calendar year’s pay cycle.
Calendar Year Eligibility
Years of Service Maximum Annual Vacation Accrual
0-5 3 weeks
6+ 4 weeks

Employees hired on or before December 31, 2026 will retain the prior vacation maximum
accrual amount. These employees have been grandfathered and noted within ADP.
Use and Scheduling of Accrued Vacation
Accrued vacation may be taken at any time during the year, subject to departmental needs and
with prior approval. Scheduling should be done as early as possible in the year and coordinated
to meet both departmental needs and employee preferences. Since the company needs to
maintain adequate staffing levels throughout the year, the company reserves the right to
designate when vacations must be requested or taken by department. Should an employee
desire to change a previously scheduled vacation, the approval of this change will be subject to
department needs on the new dates.

Employees may schedule and borrow vacation days not yet accrued (up to 2 weeks) with prior
written approval from management. Subject to applicable law, if vacation use exceeds vacation
accrual, Human Resources will make arrangements with the employee on a reimbursement plan
(i.e., deduction from final pay, bonus, commission or other payments).
It is the responsibility of each eligible employee to plan, schedule and use accrued vacation by
the end of each year in order to avoid loss of vacation not being carried over to the next year.
Vacation days can be taken in a minimum of quarter hours.
Subject to applicable law, employees who become ill or injured during vacation may not use
paid sick time or sick pay in lieu of vacation time.
In the event an official company holiday falls during a vacation, that holiday will not be counted
as a vacation day.
Forfeiture of Unused Vacation
Accrued but unused vacation is NOT paid out at the end of each calendar year and carry over
does not apply, unless otherwise required by applicable law. Unused vacation at the end of the
year is forfeited unless specific exception is granted in writing by the Publisher under
exceptional circumstances.
Payment On Termination
Employees will be paid accrued and unused vacation remaining in the calendar year upon
termination of employment.
In order to bridge the gap between the old policy and new, for 2027 only, each employee will receive a
one-time addition to their vacation balance equal 3/4 th their annual allotment (for the period April 15,
2026 – December 31, 2026). This addition must be used by December 31, 2027 or it will be forfeited.
Additionally, vacation, sick and holiday time is not working time and, therefore, will not be used in the
calculation of penalty/premium/overtime payments under the CBA.

” for its employees, they are forcing the Guild’s hand in this matter as it is no longer honoring past practice vacation. New employees now have to wait more than a year for a vacation.

The memorandum of agreement is as follows:

This Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”) is between The Capital Newspaper Division – The Hearst
Corporation and the Guild Newspaper Guild/CWA of Albany, The Newspaper Guild/CWA Local 31034
(AFL-CIO,CLC) , collectively referred to herein as the “Parties.”

VACATION AGREEMENT

The parties have reached a tentative agreement on the attached vacation language. This Vacation
Agreement is subject to a union ratification vote scheduled for August 4, 2026 and, if ratified, the terms
will be incorporated into a successor CBA when agreement is reached on an overall CBA.
Therefore, effective January 1, 2027, the parties agree that company will implement the following
vacation policy:

Eligibility
All regular, full-time employees are eligible for vacation days. Regular, part-time employees’
vacation will be pro-rated based on hours worked. Regular part-time employees are those
working more than 20 hours but less than 37.5. Temporary or seasonal employees are not
eligible for vacation.

Accrual of Vacation
Vacation accruals begin with the start of the next pay period following the employee’s date of
hire. In the years following an employee’s date of hire, vacation accruals begin with each new
calendar year’s pay cycle.

Calendar Year Eligibility
Years of Service Maximum Annual Vacation Accrual
0-5 3 weeks
6+ 4 weeks

Employees hired on or before December 31, 2026 will retain the prior vacation maximum
accrual amount. These employees have been grandfathered and noted within ADP.

Use and Scheduling of Accrued Vacation
Accrued vacation may be taken at any time during the year, subject to departmental needs and
with prior approval. Scheduling should be done as early as possible in the year and coordinated
to meet both departmental needs and employee preferences. Since the company needs to
maintain adequate staffing levels throughout the year, the company reserves the right to
designate when vacations must be requested or taken by department. Should an employee
desire to change a previously scheduled vacation, the approval of this change will be subject to
department needs on the new dates.

Employees may schedule and borrow vacation days not yet accrued (up to 2 weeks) with prior
written approval from management. Subject to applicable law, if vacation use exceeds vacation
accrual, Human Resources will make arrangements with the employee on a reimbursement plan
(i.e., deduction from final pay, bonus, commission or other payments).
It is the responsibility of each eligible employee to plan, schedule and use accrued vacation by
the end of each year in order to avoid loss of vacation not being carried over to the next year.
Vacation days can be taken in a minimum of quarter hours.
Subject to applicable law, employees who become ill or injured during vacation may not use
paid sick time or sick pay in lieu of vacation time.
In the event an official company holiday falls during a vacation, that holiday will not be counted
as a vacation day.

Forfeiture of Unused Vacation
Accrued but unused vacation is NOT paid out at the end of each calendar year and carry over
does not apply, unless otherwise required by applicable law. Unused vacation at the end of the
year is forfeited unless specific exception is granted in writing by the Publisher under
exceptional circumstances.

Payment On Termination
Employees will be paid accrued and unused vacation remaining in the calendar year upon
termination of employment.
In order to bridge the gap between the old policy and new, for 2027 only, each employee will receive a
one-time addition to their vacation balance equal 3/4 th their annual allotment (for the period April 15,
2026 – December 31, 2026). This addition must be used by December 31, 2027 or it will be forfeited.
Additionally, vacation, sick and holiday time is not working time and, therefore, will not be used in the
calculation of penalty/premium/overtime payments under the CBA.

Media workers at three Hearst-owned newspapers represented by The NewsGuild-CWA have filed unfair labor practice charges against Hearst with the National Labor Relations Board this week, accusing the company of violating federal labor law and retaliating against workers for union activity.

The charges were filed by workers at:
● The Albany Times Union in New York,
● The Austin American-Statesman in Texas,
● and the Dallas Morning News in Texas.

The workers allege that Hearst management has illegally withheld information from unions, refused to bargain in good faith, and retaliated against employees for exercising their legal right to organize.
NewsGuild-represented media workers in Connecticut already filed multiple Unfair Labor Charges against Hearst for management’s failure to bargain in good faith and unlawful retaliation against union activists.

Under federal law, workers have the right to form unions, bargain collectively, and act together to improve wages and working conditions.

Employers are legally required to negotiate in good faith and provide unions with information necessary to bargain contracts and represent workers.

Instead, workers say Hearst has unlawfully engaged in delay tactics at the bargaining table, obstructed
workers’ access to necessary information, and attempted to intimidate union activists across multiple Hearst properties.

In Albany, New York, Hearst has backtracked on more than a dozen contract proposals that management had already agreed to at the bargaining table.

“The Hearst Corporation’s delay and discipline tactics against Guild members has stretched across the board, but we remain united in our fight for better working conditions,” said Wendy Liberatore, the unit chair at the Albany Times Union. “Hearst needs to end its unlawful tactics, including regressive bargaining and disciplining members for doing Guild business, and come to the table and negotiate in good faith.”

At the Austin American-Statesman, workers say Hearst has undermined bargaining and retaliated against union supporters while employees continue pushing for a fair contract.

“A fair contract creates stability for journalists, which ensures the quality of the reporting our communities count on. We care deeply about this work and aim to safeguard historic news institutions through our efforts. It was extremely disappointing that when Hearst purchased the Austin American-Statesman, the company chose to toss away our existing contract, and disappointing now to observe how the company is treating us now that we’re negotiating a new one.”, said Keri Heath, a reporter at the Austin American-Statesman.

“We have an amazing opportunity to be partners in ensuring that the news of the future will be generated by humans not AI, that full-time newsroom jobs in Austin are kept local and aren’t given away to freelancers, and that the rights of workers in Texas are upheld and respected. Instead we find ourselves filing Unfair Labor Practice charges. We care deeply about this work and the gravity of this action is meant to reflect that. We sincerely hope that management chooses to take our rights and the content of our proposals seriously moving forward.” , said Cody Copeland, a reporter at the Austin American-Statesman.

Workers at the Dallas Morning News say management has similarly failed to bargain fairly and refused to
provide the union with necessary information.

“It wasn’t always perfect with the Dallas News Corporation management, but we knew we could expect that they would honor their legal obligations to provide us with information. We had grown to expect that. It was alarming to us after the acquisition how challenging it can often become to get the most rudimentary information from Hearst,” said Smiley Pool, Bargaining Co-Chair for the Dallas NewsGuild and worker at the Dallas Morning News.

“We are demanding these unlawful actions by Hearst immediately come to an end. Journalists seeking a fair contact and improved working conditions in their newsrooms should not be facing intimidation by management. It is far past time for Hearst to cease their endless delay tactics and join our members at the bargaining table for serious, good faith negotiations” said Sean Emery, President of Media Guild of the West #39213 TNG-CWA AFL-CIO.

The filings come amid exponential union growth in the news industry, where media workers across the country are facing off against increasing corporate consolidation of local newsrooms.

“Journalists are fighting to protect local news, improve working conditions, and maintain basic standards of fairness and dignity in the workplace,” said Jon Schleuss, NewsGuild-CWA President. “Hearst needs to stop breaking the law and start bargaining seriously with its workers.”

The unfair labor practice charges will now be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board, the
independent federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. labor law.

The annual membership meeting of the Albany Newspaper Guild, Local 31034, TNG-CWA has been called for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2026.  The meeting will be held via Zoom.

At this meeting, members can share their ideas on how to best pressure the company to settle the contract once and for all. All suggestions are welcomed.

We will also update members of the board’s activities to make it happen. The monthly Executive Board meeting will follow.

The agenda for the meeting will be posted the week prior.

The Guild had another frustrating bargaining session Thursday in which the company declined to discuss any topics without seeing a comprehensive proposal from the Guild. That is despite the fact the Guild provided a comprehensive proposal in November detailing the many tentative agreements between the sides and the outstanding sections of the contract that still needed work.

The company has failed to make one single “on the record proposal” since the sides resumed on-the-record talks in July 2025.

This makes the bargaining team believe the company is simply attempting to delay progress towards a deal. In fact, the company used the same tactic in Austin – basically saying the Guild is confusing them with too many pieces of paper.

Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Journalism Sustainability Act is now offering New York news outlets hefty tax credits for hiring new reporters and keeping their newsroom vibrant. The Times Union is eligible for $320,000 a year.

We are using our frustration about the process to expand our public campaign – securing support from state Senators, Assembly and other community members to put pressure on the company. We are also receiving help from local unions, whose members have deep connections with the state Capitol and are happy to help.

On Sept. 17, the Albany Newspaper Guild voted in its executive board officers to three-year terms that run from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2028.

The officers elected were:
Wendy Liberatore, president
David Johnson, vice president
Kathleen Moore, secretary
Paul Nelson, treasurer
Justin Wisner, chief steward
Will Richards and Rose Schneider, at-large officers

At the meeting, the board discussed contract negotiations that will restart in earnest on Thursday, Sept. 25.

We also discussed calling a meeting with the Publisher George Hearst and Human Resources about changes the company wants to make to the handbook, which we oppose without negotiations, as well as recent vague threats of dismissal to those working in advertising.

We also discussed a get-together next month and around the holidays so that we can all share and get to know each other better.

Feel free to join us at our next meeting on Zoom on Wednesday, Oct. 8.