Vote on Aug. 4 on MOA on vacation

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.