Both parties agreed Tuesday to allow members to see for the first time what was proposed behind closed doors as the parties tried to settle the contract. This information is being released for communication purposes only and cannot be used by either party in any legal proceeding.

We’re grateful to Publisher George Hearst for agreeing to let you see what the two parties have proposed, and we hope sharing this information will help you see that the Guild has been striving to compromise while protecting our members’ interests.

Here’s how the two proposals break down on the major issues that have been making reaching a settlement difficult.

LAYOFF LANGUAGE

WHAT THE GUILD WANTED: To keep our original language, which required layoffs to be by reverse order of seniority by department.

WHAT THE COMPANY WANTED: To eliminate the union’s right to bargain over layoffs, making everyone vulnerable to a potential layoff no matter how long their service.

WHERE THE GUILD WAS WILLING TO MOVE: The company could use up to 20 “skips” whereby they exempt selected individuals from out of seniority layoffs. We stated that number was meant to be a starting point for a conversation.

WHERE THE COMPANY MOVED: It would bargain over layoffs only after 90 people had been let go over the two-year life of the contract. The company has not laid off that many people in a century. It would wipe out 40 percent of the workforce. This is a move on paper only.

OUTSOURCING

WHAT THE GUILD WANTED: To keep the protections we had that barred the company from outsourcing work if it would displace a staff position.

WHAT THE COMPANY WANTED: To eliminate the union’s right to bargain over outsourcing.

WHERE THE GUILD WAS WILLING TO MOVE: The Guild was willing to accept the language the company imposed in 2009, which requires bargaining over outsourcing but does not ban it.

WHERE THE COMPANY MOVED: The company would negotiate over outsourcing only after 90 jobs were outsourced. Again, this is a move on paper only.

The last written proposal both parties shared was in April 2011. The company declined to meet again for a bargaining session until November. At that session, the union had prepared and offered to make a new comprehensive settlement proposal but the company said it would only listen to a proposal on settling the NLRB case.

Our summary above includes what was verbally said by the Guild to the company about its willingness to move. Our written April proposal called for a $750 bonus on signing and a 2 percent raise on the first anniversary of ratification, which would have been this spring. The company proposed a $1,500 signing bonus with no raise. We proposed the laid-off workers get $50,000 each; the company offered $1,500.

You can read the company’s April 2009 proposal here.

You can read the Guild’s April 2009 proposal here.

The Times Union owes 11 workers the company illegally laid off in 2009 about $600,000 in back wages, the National Labor Relations Board has determined.

That figure is actually low, the NLRB said, because it does not include pension accruals that the board says are owed to the 11. Interest on the debt continues to compound daily so that the actual number is already over $600,000.

One worker who has not yet found a job is owed more than $105,000. Another is owed more than $98,000. A third is owed more than $80,000.

“From the moment the Times Union began illegally laying off these workers, we put the company on notice that their actions were illegal and we would have no choice but to stand up for our members,” Guild President Tim O’Brien said. “The company made a choice to continue to break the law. It made a choice to waste tens of thousands of dollars on a losing legal appeal, only to see the decision upheld by the board in Washington, D.C. And now the time has come where the company is about to pay the price for actions it chose to take. ”

The NRLB is launching its enforcement process to require the Times Union to pay the debt that is owed. Part of the order also calls for those workers to be restored to the payroll and for the Times Union to do what we asked it to do in the first place: bargain in good faith over layoffs.

The court process can take six months to a year, but it is the final step in this long, drawn-out case.

Some of the laid-off workers have never found work. Others have worked more than one job to make ends meet. Some have suffered hits to what their pensions would have been.

The NLRB issued its findings on how much money is owed in late August. The union made a decision not to publicize those findings immediately as our intent has always been to try to negotiate a settlement not only of the legal case but of the contract.

The parties met Wednesday for off-the-record discussions, but they did not bear fruit. The Guild continues to insist that any settlement must be fair to the 11 illegally laid off workers and give our members the contract that is long overdue.

Members of the Guild approved the switch to the Blue Shield of Northeastern New York plan for next year.

Turnout was light as many viewed the new health care plan as similar, and in some ways better, than the existing plan.

The final tally was 40-4.

You can read our earlier report on the proposal here.

And if you’d like to look up information on whether your doctor participates, you can search here.

Guild members will vote Thursday on a proposed buyout.

The vote will be held from noon to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. upstairs in one of the executive conference rooms.

The terms of the deal are three weeks of pay for each year of service, with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of one year. The Guild tried to offer an added benefit for senior employees, but the company declined.

A person who takes the buyout would receive health care for the same time period.

The Times Union did agree to cover the $750 health-care deductible for workers who take the buyout and to keep their share of health-care costs at 21 percent. The Company also agreed to allow people who decline the health care coverage to receive 15 percent of the net premium or $3,492.15, which will be pro-rated based on the number of months of pay.

The deadline for people to apply for the buyout will be Friday, Nov. 11. Those who receive the buyout would be expected to leave by year’s end.

The company has said it is looking to cut six to nine positions total in editorial and among the exempt ranks. While people in other departments can apply for the buyout, the Times Union has said it is aimed at editorial workers.

To vote on the buyout package, you must be a member in good standing. The vote is open to members in all departments covered by the Guild.

You can read the terms of the buyout here.

The Guild and the Company are hoping to get a proposal on a buyout to members Tuesday for a vote.

The final offer has not yet been determined, but the basic outlines are in place. Those who take it will be paid three weeks for every year of service, with a minimum of 15. The Guild proposed the maximum be bumped up from 52 to 62 weeks, which would match contractual severance.

Health insurance would be provided for the same period.

The union dropped its proposal to eliminate the early retirement penalty. Instead, the union proposed that employees with 25 or more years of experience get an extra $15,000. The reason is that employees at that point in their careers would likely be retiring, not moving to a new career, and the extra cash would help make up for a loss in pension income (and a likely reduction in Social Security) from retiring before 65.

Twelve editorial employees have that much experience. There is precedent for this approach, as the company offered added cash to senior employees during a 2008 buyout.

The company has said it is looking to eliminate six to nine positions between exempt employees companywide and Guild-covered jobs in editorial. An offer was sent to exempt workers this week, and the company is asking for the Guild to agree to the same November 9 date for applications to be submitted.

The company has said workers in other departments can apply, but there is no guarantee anyone would get it. Those who do would leave the company before January 1.

The Executive Board will meet briefly Friday once the company finalizes its response to set hours for the vote. The plan is to offer voting both at lunch time and later in the evening for night-shift workers. The company has agreed to allow us to use a conference room for the voting.

The Guild again urges anyone who is thinking about the buyout to see Carole Hess for a calculation of what their pension would be.

We will provide details as soon as we can.