Guild Executive Board post open and other updates

Here is an update on several issues the Guild has been dealing with lately.

Executive Board position available

Our First Vice President, Bill Federman, retired. As was typical of his style, Bill wanted to leave quietly and with no fanfare. We appreciated Bill’s service on the board, his commitment to his colleagues and his great sense of humor. We salute our former Marine and thank him for the many ways he has served.

That means we will need to fill his seat on our Executive Board. Maybe it could be you. Or maybe there is a colleague you think would do a great job. Please let us know if you’re interested or know someone. We would gladly answer anyone’s questions about what the role entails. It would be nice to get a representative from Circulation or the Business Office or anywhere else where we are not presently represented on the board. It involves attending a monthly meeting at the Labor Temple. You get to help us put together bargaining proposals, plan the picnic and holiday party, and help your colleagues when they need assistance. Most importantly, you get to be our eyes and ears. Ears are especially important. Listening to your co-workers is the most important job we board members have.

If you’d like to chat about what the role entails, you can talk to any of our board members: Tim O’Brien, Marianne Mahr, Mark Hempstead, Brian Nearing, Jeff Boyer and Marci Schuck. Tim O’Brien can be reached at 466-8700.

Buyout update

The application period for the buyout has closed, and there were no takers. One small bit of good news is that one of the two Guild-covered employees in the magazine division, Colleen Ingerto, will be staying and moving downstairs. Sadly, the Times Union will be losing our colleague Emily Jahn next month. We appreciate Emily’s excellent work and wish her the best of luck wherever her career path takes her next.

Guild Picnic

Just a reminder, the Guild Picnic will be held June 14 at the Crossings park in Colonie. It’s free to Guild members and their families. Singles can bring a guest. We will be returning to our policy of printing tickets. You don’t need them to come, but they are a handy reminder. We’ll let you know when the tickets are available.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or need any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.