The Albany Newspaper Guild quarterly membership meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 14, 2024 on ZOOM.

The monthly Executive Board meeting will immediately follow the membership meeting.

The Zoom information may be obtained by emailing the Guild office at office@albanyguild.org.

Another email with Zoom information will be sent prior to the membership meeting.

The period to select your vacation for the upcoming year begins on Feb. 15, 2024. By that date managers must inform Guild members of their vacation time for April 15, 2024 through April 14, 2025.

You should submit your vacation selections by Feb. 25, 2024.

Vacation schedules are to be posted by March 15, 20243.

The Times Union has moved to an online vacation selection. If you have any problems or questions filing for your vacations speak to your supervisor or human resources. Also, contact the Guild office at office@albanyguild.org.

The Guild recommends that you email your vacation selections to your supervisor so that you have a written record of it.

Vacation is selected by seniority. Click on YOUR CONTRACT to see the Section 16 Vacation language.

This is a reminder to Albany Newspaper Guild unit members using the company-provided MVP healthcare plan that you can be reimbursed up to $600 for purchases you have made in 2023.

The list of purchases approved for reimbursement is long and varied, including fitness or club memberships, sports equipment (skis, shoes), books, after-school programs, movie/concert/theater tickets, and much more. In most cases you must provide a receipt or invoice with the cost and date of payment.

Please see the MVP reimbursement flyer and consult your own health plan documents for official rules on what purchases qualify and how to request a reimbursement.

The Executive Board approved a $1,000 bonus payment Wednesday that will be provided to Albany Newspaper Guild unit members who are not on a commission or bonus program.

Here are the details presented to the local on Wednesday by the company:

“As in the last few years the Company has decided to provide employees with a bonus based on corporate performance. Here are the terms to receive the bonus:

• Employee must have been hired prior to Oct. 1, 2023
• Employee must have worked at least 1,000 hours in 2022
• If the employee is on a commission or bonus plan, they are excluded from receiving the bonus
• Bonus is 1% of gross income with a minimum of $1,000.

Almost all of our employees not on commissions or bonus plans will receive $1,000.”

Any questions may be directed to the local at office@albanyguild.org.

It is with a great deal of sadness that the Albany Newspaper Guild reports the passing of Bruce Nelson, a retired Guild international representative, who came to Albany to assist our local and in many ways never left. Bruce died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 after an illness.

Bruce was a friend, mentor and eventually an Albany Guild member who provided support and leadership in assisting our local when he first arrived in the early 1990s.

Bruce found friends among our ranks, respect from Times Union leaders and perhaps most importantly established family ties. Bruce met, fell in love with and married former Albany Guild President Melissa Nelson.

While both Melissa and Bruce have retired from The News Guild and lived in Laurel, Maryland, that did not end their support for us in our current contract negotiations with the Times Union. Melissa has been providing us advice during our contract negotiations. Melissa relayed Bruce’s observations about our situation which helped us immensely.

Bruce was extremely intelligent, possessed insight, was a keen judge of human nature, had a sly sense of humor, friendly and had a knowledge of labor relations that benefitted not only all of us in Albany, but across the Guild.

Bruce arrived in Albany when our local leadership asked then international Guild President Chuck Dale to send us his best international field rep. Bruce arrived and that began a relationship of more than 30 years between him and our local.

Melissa has been providing us advice and support during our contract negotiations. Melissa relayed Bruce’s observations about our situation which helped us immensely.

An obituary for Bruce will be running in the Times Union, the Washington Post and the two Minnesota newspapers where he began his journalism career as a reporter and went to work for the Guild.

Services will be held next week in Laurel, Maryland.

Obituary for Bruce Raymond Nelson