Negotiations go off the record for now

The Guild and the Company entered off-the-record discussions Monday in the hopes it might lead the parties closer to an agreement. Unfortunately, that means the Guild cannot discuss the contents of the discussions with the membership unless an agreement is reached and submitted to you for your approval.

At the same time, it means the Guild is not bound to anything it proposes during these talks unless and until an agreement is reached. If the parties cannot reach a resolution, we would return to exactly where we were in our public discussions.

The Guild has also agreed to allow the Company to present information on its proposed switch of our health care to an MVP plan. That does not mean the union has agreed to or endorsed it, and the Guild’s membership must vote on any proposed switch.

If the Company attempts to impose the changes without agreement, the Guild would have no choice but to take appropriate legal action in response. We think it is in both parties’ interest to seek to reach a full contractual agreement rather than carve out individual issues. That is why we have agreed to off-the-record discussions.

The talks resume Monday, November 17.