Guild gains 8 jobs

Local President Mandy Fries led her last meeting with the Company late Tuesday afternoon to discuss new jobs in the Editorial and Advertising departments. Mandy was joined by Vice President Ken Crowe and Local Secretary Massarah Mikati for the meeting with Publisher George Hearst and Human Resources Director Ruth Fantasia.

The company will add five jobs in editorial and three jobs in advertising. The company had been looking at creating a separate digital product in eastern New York State. The Guild in consultation with the International had argued that this fell within our jurisdiction. The company has decided our hard work in developing the Times Union print and TimesUnion.com brands is where the positions belong.

The jobs are an additional Saratoga County reporter, an additional environmental reporter and a Columbia-Greene counties reporter, a data reporter and a data visualization developer in editorial. The five positions are all Class C. The four reporters will join the seniority list for that title. The data visualization developer will be placed in an appropriate seniority list after further clarification on the job title. The Guild pointed out that we did not want individuals being the single person in a job title.

In advertising, we see the addition of a sales development representative and two additional outside sales positions for digital sales.

George Hearst and Ruth Fantasia praised the work that Saratoga County Reporter Wendy Liberatore and Environmental Reporter Rick Karlin are doing. They said these new positions are to supplement their work.

Company proposes PIP buyout terms

The Company presented a preliminary discussion for offering people on a performance improvement plan to opt for a buyout instead of proceeding with the plan in an effort to keep their jobs.

The basic proposal would be up to 12 weeks of severance pay and health insurance for anyone with six years or less of employment with the company. Anyone with more than six years experience would receive severance and health insurance of two weeks per year worked. The company would pay the employee’s portion of the health insurance premium.

This will be subject to further discussions.

Hearst Co. continues to maintain its policy of no furloughs or layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mandy’s Farewell

Mandy will wrap up her time at the Times Union on Friday and sadly will depart as president of the Albany Newspaper Guild. Mandy has led a revitalization of our Local during her time in office.

Mandy will be joining the Wilmington Delaware News-Journal as a watchdog reporter. We’re sure she will be spending time with President Joe Biden when he comes home from the White House. Also, the Wilmington paper is negotiating its first Guild contract. Mandy will feel right at home.

Mandy will lead her last executive board meeting Thursday evening. Members are always urged to attend.

My fellow colleagues,

It’s with mixed emotions I write to inform you I’ll be leaving the Times Union to take a reporting position closer to home.

I know my departure comes at a critical time for the Albany Guild, and my decision was not made lightly, but I hope you will carry on the good work we’ve been doing in my absence. We have built momentum even during a pandemic, and the myriad efforts we have going will continue after my departure.

My fellow Executive Board members as well as the stewards are fully committed to seeing through several of the efforts that remain ongoing, including a remote work policy; finishing the pay study; and continuing efforts to improve diversity and inclusion at the Times Union.

I hope that more of you will see the value in the Guild’s work and join your colleagues in supporting these efforts. As I’ve often said, the union is ALL OF US, and to truly bring about change (and, yes, a new contract), the Guild will need everyone’s help. Our voices are stronger together.

My last day at the Times Union will be Friday, March 12. We will have a regular Executive Board meeting on Thursday, March 11,which I’ll attend, and we will go over the transition process. Ken Crowe, who has served most recently as vice-president, has agreed to step into the role in the interim.

Always in solidarity,

Mandy

The quick action and mobilization by the Albany Newspaper Guild Diversity Committee last week prompted Times Union management to issue a public response following outcry over the company’s Black History Month ad solicitation strategy.

Hours after the Guild went public Wednesday, demanding the company issue a sincere, public apology and offering several recommendations the company could consider to help repair the relationship between the news outlet and the Black community, Times Union Publisher George Hearst issued a statement apologizing for how the solicitation was received by some community members and indicated that proceeds from the special Feb. 21 edition of the paper will be donated to nonprofits that are active in the Black community.

“An email sent last week from the Times Union’s advertising department regarding an upcoming Black History Month special section elicited criticism from a number of Black-owned business owners and organizations that received it. We intended no offense, but now recognize that some members of the community found this advertising solicitation unwelcome, even inappropriate,” Hearst wrote. “For that, we apologize unreservedly.”

The letter described efforts the Times Union is making to diversify its ranks while also improving how it covers and interacts with communities of color.

While the Guild is happy to see the company quickly responded to our concerns, we understand this response does not adequately recognize, nor apologize for, the harm the solicitation caused the Capital Region’s Black community. We want to change that, and are actively engaging management to work with the Guild and its Diversity Committee to further mend that relationship. Those efforts include pressing management to consider recommendations previously made that would improve the Times Union’s relationship with communities of color. It’s important to note, these recommendations serve as a starting point for discussions, and the Guild understands there may be legal or procedural hurdles to some of these ideas:

• Provide free advertising for Black-owned businesses for the remainder of Black History Month.
• Provide a reparations-based, sliding-scale price model for communities of color seeking to advertise with the Times Union after the month of February.
• Donate 100 percent of profits made from the Black History Month special section to local organizations that support Black communities. Based on the company’s response, which ran in print on Thursday, Feb. 11, this recommendation was turned into a reality, with the Times Union’s intention to donate the proceeds to nonprofits active in the Black community.
• Create a community liaison position, and preferably fill the position with a person of color from the Capital Region, in order to have a point person who can interface with communities of color without causing further harm.
• As previously recommended by the Diversity Committee, consider candidates of color first when marketing and filling open positions.
• Hold a Company-wide meeting to transparently and honestly discuss the offensiveness of and harm done by this email with employees and managers.

We implore Times Union management to consider these additional recommendations immediately, and work with the Guild Diversity Committee on turning these innovative ideas into reality. The committee followed-up with management regarding those recommendations on Friday and awaits a response.

These recommendations build on the work previously done by the Guild Diversity Committee to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at the Times Union. Other suggestions include hiring guest columnists of color; diversifying the company through more intentional recruitment strategies; and partnering with business owners of color.

The Albany Newspaper Guild Diversity Committee has called on Times Union management to immediately issue a public and sincere apology following public outcry over the newspaper’s ad solicitation strategy for Black History Month. 

Members of the Capital Region on Friday, Feb. 5, received an email from the newspaper’s advertising department about the planned Black History Month special section, offering advertising space in the section ranging in price from $875 to over $3,000. 

This email was received by many Black members of our community, who found it offensive and racist. The community criticized the Times Union for exploiting Black History Month to make a profit, and for charging Black business owners exorbitant prices to place advertisements in a predominantly white newspaper during a month meant to celebrate their community’s successes and legacies.

Committee members, supported by the Guild’s Executive Board, issued a letter to Times Union executives late Tuesday condemning the company’s actions.

“Needless to say, asking Black business owners — particularly during a global pandemic that has disproportionately impacted them — to buy ads for a section meant to honor them is darkly ironic, racist, tone deaf to the economic plight the community has faced due to systemic racism, and harmful to a community that our newspaper has already caused so much harm to historically,” committee members wrote. “As a predominantly white company, mistakes will be made. But when that happens, it is critical to recognize, understand and apologize for those mistakes, and take concrete action to avoid making them in the future.”

The Diversity Committee also recommended management consider the following to begin mending community relations:

• Provide free advertising for Black-owned businesses for the remainder of Black History Month.
• Provide a reparations-based, sliding-scale price model for communities of color seeking to advertise with the Times Union after the month of February.
• Donate 100 percent of profits made from the Black History Month special section to local organizations that support Black communities.
• Create a community liaison position, and fill the position with a person of color from the Capital Region, in order to have a point person who can interface with communities of color without causing further harm.
• As previously recommended by the Diversity Committee, consider candidates of color first when marketing and filling open positions.
• Hold a Company-wide meeting to transparently and honestly discuss the offensiveness of and harm done by this email with employees and managers.

The committee urged management to continue this work beyond the month of February, and noted further actions previously recommended by the Diversity Committee to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at the Times Union. Those recommendations included hiring guest columnists of color; diversifying the company through more intentional recruitment strategies; and partnering with business owners of color.

The Albany Newspaper Guild and the Times Union agreed Monday to a voluntary buyout that will be open to all members of the bargaining unit.

The local Executive Board unanimously approved the tentative agreement and has recommended approval at a special membership meeting on Zoom called for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Look for a separate email with the Zoom meeting information to be sent out Tuesday.

The buyout offer also is being reviewed by the international NewsGuild board.

The terms call for a minimum of 13 weeks pay and a maximum of 62 weeks pay based upon years of service. It also includes health insurance coverage for the same period as the buyout with the company paying the full insurance premium.  If a person chooses not to take the health insurance, they will receive 50 percent of the company’s share of the premium.

All accrued time will be paid and pension benefits remain intact.

The company said there are no goals for savings with this special voluntary buyout package, and there will be no layoffs. It will be offered across the Newspaper Division beginning Tuesday Oct. 20.

The deadline for signing up is Monday, Nov. 2.

The Guild negotiating team was led by President Mandy Fries.  Joining Mandy were Vice President Ken Crowe, Treasurer Jason McKenna and Secretary Massarah Mikati.  The company was represented by Publisher George Hearst and Human Resources Manager Ruth Fantasia.