The Newspaper Guild of Albany is launching a new campaign to support those who support us.

Please stop by Roma Foods between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9. It is at 9 Cobbee Road just off Route 9 in Latham. Buy Italian groceries, pick up lunch or dinner, and thank owner Frank Bolognino for his longtime support for Times Union workers.

The Newspaper Guild of Albany is thrilled about the new press that will display our work like never before.

We congratulate the Hearst Corp. for making this major investment at a time when many others are abandoning daily delivery. It shows a real commitment to the future. We took out a congratulatory ad to show our appreciation for this historic investment.

At the same time, the Hearst Corp. has not shown a similar commitment to its employees. Without them, the new press would be printing blank pages.

It has been more than 5 years since Times Union employees have had raises and four years since we have been without a contract. The Guild has met and will continue to meet with the Company to continue to discuss getting our members the raise they have long since deserved.

We welcome Frank Bennack and Steve Swartz today, and we hope the commitment to a new press will also lead to a renewed commitment and investment in the people who helped make the Times Union the 2012 Newspaper of Distinction.

The Guild’s Executive Board will meet at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria to discuss whether to buy an ad in the special edition the first day the new press operates.

Guild leaders and members can also give their thoughts on what an ad should say.

The union has received strong feedback from members. Some have said we should not buy an ad since we have not received raises in more than five years.

Others have said we should buy an ad as the latest sign we are willing to bargain in good faith — without mentioning the lack of a contract. Still others have argued with equal passion that while we should hail the Company’s terrific investment in a new press, we should also note that the time is overdue for investing in employees too.

After all, it was employees who earned the TU the Newspaper of Distinction Award. Without us and our hard work, the pages would be blank.

Whatever you believe, come to the cafeteria Tuesday to share your views.

Advertising employees are being asked to shoulder extraordinary burdens, prompting the Guild to ask for information about how workers can reasonably be expected to do all that is being asked of them.

Ad sales staff are being told they must make 5 in-person sales calls every day.

“Making a sales call not only requires travel time and time spent making the sales presentation, it also includes time spent researching the client to make an effective presentation, time to complete the paperwork for any ads sold or follow up information requested, as well as time the client may leave the advertising salesperson waiting,” Guild President Tim O’Brien wrote to HR Director Ruth Fantasia.

At the same time, the ad sales staff must spend time selling other products such as SEO, magazines, etc.  They must also provide quality customer service to their current customer base, expand growth potential of their customer base, while their goals are being raised and commissions lowered.

In addition, sales staff must attend a meeting every day, Monday through Thursday.

The Guild has asked for information on every employee who has been put on a performance improvement plan and will seek a meeting with Company leaders once that information is in hand.

“How is a salesperson supposed to manage five sales calls a day 5 days a week every week while meeting these other demands?” O’Brien wrote. “We understand there have been instances where ad sales staff were forced to cancel appointments with customers so they could spend their time booking future appointments. We have serious concerns about the legality of disciplining employees under these circumstances that we wish to discuss with you.”

The union also asked about the policy on managers sending emails and texts to employees, asking what the appropriate and inappropriate times of day are for managers to do so.

The Guild also is seeking information on what work is being done by Local Edge, whose employees are now attending sales training at the Times Union and are identifying themselves as Times Union employees. The manager of Local Edge is now supervising the SEO staff.

“For these reasons, we have concerns that the Local Edge team is now encroaching on Guild jurisdiction,” O’Brien wrote. “Please provide details on what Local Edge is permitted to do.”

If advertising employees have additional concerns they want to raise to the union,
please contact us at office@albanyguild.org or by messaging our Facebook page at Albany Newspaper Guild.

The Guild is launching an initiative to show appreciation to the advertisers in the best way we know how: shop in their stores.

We are looking for locally owned businesses who deserve support. The idea is that we would work with the retailer, pick a day and send our members to shop there on that day. We would not be asking the retailer for any discounts, and the union would make clear this is a gesture of appreciation. It is not part of the sales contract, and the Guild would handle making the arrangements.

There are no strings attached. The Guild will not ask the advertiser to do or say anything in return. Sometimes referred to as “cash mobs,” these events have been held elsewhere nationally by unions and the Buy Local movement. (We read about it in Time magazine.)

This is a way to thank retailers for advertising in a difficult economy. Given that it is a slow time of year after Christmas, it’s a nice way to send some business to people who support us through their advertising. And we hope you will discover new places to go.

If you give us a copy of your receipt to show you participated, we will enter you in a drawing for a gift card the Guild will buy from the store. We will also reach out to the region’s Buy Local movement and other unions to encourage them to shop there too.

If you know an advertiser who deserves to have shoppers sent their way please CLICK HERE and let us know.