Here’s a link to a story about the buyouts in the Albany Business Review:

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2015/10/23/11-times-union-guild-members-asking-for-buyouts.html

Guild members voted Thursday to approve the buyout offer negotiated with the Company.

The offer is for two weeks for every year of service with a minimum of 15 and maximum of 52. Employees would receive health insurance for the same period of time.

Further details can be obtained in the immediately prior post.

Vote Thursday on plan with 2 weeks’ pay for each year of service with caps
September 28, 2015

The Company is offering an across-the-board buyout for employees after negotiating terms with Guild leaders. Before the offer becomes official, members must vote on the plan this Thursday.

The offer is for two weeks for every year of service, with a minimum of 15 weeks and maximum of 52. Employees would get health insurance for the same period of time.
For employees in advertising, commissions would be calculated as part of the package.

The Company would not challenge unemployment claims, but employees would have to answer questions honestly, disclosing they received a severance package.

A vote on the buyout offer will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday in the advertising conference room. Guild leaders will discuss the proposed offer at noon and at 5:30 p.m.

The deadline to apply would be Thursday, October 15. The Company will decide which applications it accepts.

“We do not like to see any more positions cut as our members are doing more and more work with pay that has been stagnant for 8 years,” Guild President Tim O’Brien said. “On the other hand, we would much rather see employees leave voluntarily with cash in their pocket and health care coverage.”

The Company has said the buyout will also be offered to exempt employees.

Members of the Albany Newspaper Guild rallied Saturday outside the Times Union’s car show to say 8 years is too long to go without a raise.

The employees held signs saying “I can’t afford a new car. I work here” and “NO MONEY gets TU workers DOWN.”

Leading up to the event, the Guild filmed a hilarious but powerful “car commercial” about the lack of raises that racked up thousands of views. You can find it here on our web page or on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Feel free not only to like it but share it!

The employees were not objecting to the car show. In fact, people who stopped to talk to the workers were given a flyer that said: “Welcome to the Car Show! It’s for a good cause, the Hope Fund, but we’re here for a good cause too and we hope you can help.”

What are the key issues? The Times Union wants the ability to outsource work without negotiation and it wants to be able to lay off the most long-serving employees without lessening an early retirement penalty or guaranteeing enhanced severance will last. In exchange, the TU proposes to give employees no raise, just a one-time $1,000 bonus. The Guild has made 10 separate offers to settle the contract since 2009 while the Company is still pushing the same proposal overwhelmingly rejected by workers.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jhfiODdMlU]
As the Times Union prepares for a classic car show this weekend, this new ad shows that NO MONEY is getting TU workers DOWN. After 8 long years, Guild members auto have a raise by now.

Please share this on Facebook, Twitter and other social media and call 454-5555 to tell the Hearst Corp. it’s time for a fair deal for #tufamilies.