Bargaining Bulletin No. 1

On Wednesday, March 23, 2022, our local leadership delivered letters to Times Union management notifying the company that it was time to bargain a new contract.

It’s called a “demand to bargain.” The local Executive Board decided at the March meeting that the letter would be filed by March 31.

The Guild’s and the Times Union’s leaderships have been discussing bargaining. The letter references this and asks the company for dates it is available to start contract talks.

“Consistent with our prior discussions, with this letter the Albany Newspaper Guild is initiating a demand to bargain a contract agreement,” the notice states.

It’s time to reach a new contract between the Guild and the company. For many local members, this will be the first time that negotiations for a new contract will occur during their employment at the Times Union. We’ve been working under imposed conditions since 2009.

The filing of the notice comes after local President Ken Crowe, Vice President Ty Stewart, Melissa Nelson, a former local president, and international representative, and Barbara Camens, the TNG-CWA general counsel, reviewed the steps to take.

Over the last two-plus years, the Guild and the Times Union have held regular discussions to improve communications and to find ways forward as the newspaper industry continues to face challenging economic pressures and moves to digital.

The letter addressed to Publisher George R. Hearst III and copied to Human Resources Executive Director Ruth Fantasia closes by saying, “We look forward to meeting with Times Union representatives for healthy dialogue, a respectful exchange of proposals, and a productive collective bargaining process.”