We are starting to meet with the company over next year’s health insurance plan, and we need your input.

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The Times Union is asking to discuss a buyout to be targeted at editorial employees.

Guild President Tim O’Brien was contacted by Publisher George Hearst at 5 p.m. Friday. His proposed offer included three weeks of pay per year of service, with a minimum of 15 weeks and a maximum of one year. Health insurance would be provided for the same time period.

O’Brien was asked to come upstairs to review and sign the agreement. He said he could not act that fast and needed time to review the proposal. The publisher then came down to the newsroom and gave O’Brien a copy of the proposal. The Guild president spent time Saturday reviewing past buyouts, the contract and the imposed conditions. Any buyout offer is subject to a ratification vote of the membership as outlined in Section 6.G. of the contract. (That language, like most of the contract, remains in effect.)

We will be appointing a committee to negotiate with the company. We will provide more details as soon as we can.

The dues refund checks were mailed out on Saturday, Sept. 17. Most if not all people who are eligible for a refund should have received their checks by now. If you haven’t — or if you have any questions about your refund — you can contact the Guild office or a Guild officer.

Also, invoices were sent out for people who are not eligible for a rebate. If you have any questions about your invoice or haven’t received it, you can also contact the Guild office or a Guild officer.

Since the dues case was settled, more than a dozen people hired during the past two years have signed their forms to pay dues and are in good standing.

The union is glad to see the overwhelmingly positive response people have had to the settlement reached by the Times Union and the Guild. The union is now focused on reaching a settlement on all of the other outstanding issues, including the contract and the NLRB case over the 11 illegally fired workers.

At the same time, First Vice President Lindsay LaFountain is doing a tremendous job leading the Guild’s Commission Committee, which is trying to get changes made in the drastically cut commissions advertising employees are receiving.

The dues form signed by Guild-represented employees specifies a once-a-year window when people can revoke their dues checkoff. This clause’s language has been the same for more than 60 years.Out of the 200 we represent, we’ve had three inquire about revoking their dues.

As our contract and the language of the checkoff form state, there is a “window of opportunity” and specific procedures to follow. The Guild’s Executive Board consulted with our attorney, Barbara Camens, and were informed our officers and Executive Board have no authority to break that signed agreement or to change the guidelines in any way.

The Guild board also strongly believes that everyone who benefits from the union should pay the dues. It is simply unfair for some people to cash the bonus check, expect a pension and accept other benefits, all for free, while others pay for the same benefits.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any Executive Board member.

The Executive Board
Tim O’Brien
Lindsay LaFountain
Mark Hempstead
Brian Nearing
Tim Neff
Jeff Boyer
Dan Roesser

The Guild’s Executive Board agreed Thursday to simplify the process for rebates.

Rather than require people who are slightly in arrears to pay their debt in order to get a rebate, the Guild will provide a partial rebate.

For example, if an employee owed $200 in order to get a $500 rebate, the union will simply write a check to the worker for the $300 difference.

The Guild intends to send out checks to members next week. If people are completely current, they will receive a rebate of 50 percent of what they were billed between April 2009 and July 2011.

People who owe more than 50 percent of their total dues bill for that time period will get an invoice instead. That document will show their balance due after the union forgives 50 percent of the total dues billed in that timeframe.

The invoice will also show how much those folks can pay each month over a six-month period to get back in good standing. People who go on a repayment plan and stick with it will be considered in good standing. That will enable them to vote, run for office and attend membership meetings.

All Guild-covered employees will get a statement outlining how their total was reached. If you have any questions upon receiving your statement, please call the Guild office at 482-9218 or contact us by email at office@albanyguild.org.