The Disney on Ice show based on the wildly popular “Frozen” is appearing at the Times Union Center through Sunday. And the Albany Newspaper Guild is using this occasion to remind Capital Region residents that something else has been frozen _ the wages for families who work for the Albany Times Union.

Wages have been frozen at the paper for seven years and counting, with no sign of a thaw. For this period, the company has repeatedly offered one-time cash _ but no raise in salary _ in return for the union handing over all rights over outsourcing of jobs and seniority job protections _ twin demands that union leadership and its members view as leading to the ultimate destruction of this 80-year organization.

During this freeze, hard-working Times Union families have seen their standard of living decline by roughly 20 percent, when cost of living increases are combined with increasing bills for health insurance. Families are cutting back and cutting back to try to keep up. But this cannot go on forever…

During this season of compassion and empathy for others, the Guild is asking that people call up Times Union Publisher George Hearst at 454.5555 and tell him that the freeze has gone on long enough. It is time to fairly compensate the people who write, illustrate, deliver and sell the ads _ all of whom help make Times Union the important community voice that it is.

The Hearst noel is not a cheery one, as the Times Union turns out to be more Scrooge than Fezziwig.

It’s been more than 7 years since most Times Union employees received raises. (It’s not just Guild members. Middle managers have been stiffed too.)

The union has repeatedly offered concessions to try to reach an agreement, to no avail. The Company insists any contract include giving up any say at all in who gets laid off or what jobs get oursourced. (This could mean some longtime employees losing as much as half of their pension.) In return, the Company isn’t even offering a raise, just a flat, one-time $1,000 bonus.

The Guild hasn’t given up. We are drafting a new proposal, but we think the Company needs to hear from the public as well as our members. So the union sent the Christmas card above to hundreds of local leaders.

It’s part of our ongoing mobilizing campaign to convince the Company it shouldn’t just write about top workplaces. It should be one.

Thank you and enjoy your holidays!

After consulting carefully with our members, the Guild chose Thursday to keep a composite rate for health care in 2015.

That means the cost will go up from $49.02 a week for every employee to $55.67. We’ll be covered by the same Blue Shield plan with the deductible remaining $750.

If we had switched to single, married and family rates, the cost would have phased in over three years. In the first year, the cost would have been $45.22 for singles, $53.09 for two, and $60.67 for families.

The Company provided estimates for the subsequent two years, but those are based on health insurance rates not increasing. In the second year, singles would have paid $34.80, doubles would have paid $50.79 and families $66.16. In the third year — again, not counting any increases in annual cost — the price would have been $24.69 for singles, $48.54 for couples and $71.49 for families.

“We recognize and respect that singles continue to help subsidize others,” Guild President Tim O’Brien said. “We also know that health insurance means those of us who are lucky to be well are subsidizing our colleagues who are not so fortunate.”

In the end, members and the Executive Board thought that any such change should be part of a contract with raises, which we will continue to mobilize to achieve.

The Company had sought the change because it could potentially face a penalty under Obamacare next year. The new health care law says that the premium cannot be more than 9.5% of the lowest paid employee’s wage. One worker would’ve fallen below that standard.

It turns out that the one employee is not even on the Company’s insurance, and a $2.27 an hour raise would lift the worker above the level in question.

Friday, December 5 from 6–9 p.m. at Wolf’s 1-11 on Wolf Road

Join your fellow Guild members for drinks and hors d’oeuvres!
Guild members are invited to bring one guest.

Sign up today at albanyguild.org/holiday

What should we do on health care?
Give your input to the Executive Board.

time: 12:30 pm
date: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014
location: Colonie Town Library

Previous Bulletins on Health Care:
Guild considers sticking with composite rate for health care
Company proposes shift of health care costs to families