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Annual Membership Meeting & Election of All Guild Officers
The Newspaper Guild of Albany will hold a membership meeting at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the BVMC Church Hall across the street at 250 Old Maxwell Rd.
All seven seats on the Executive Board are up for election. The terms are for three years.
The positions require attendance at the monthly Executive Board meeting, held at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Board members develop bargaining proposals, make decisions on health care and other proposals, and decide on any grievances or other issues that arise.
Also, this will be an opportunity for members to raise any issues or concerns, and to hear about any potential new approaches toward reaching a new contract.
Election Information:
The positions are President, Treasurer, Secretary, Chief Steward, Vice President, and two Board Members At-Large. The terms will run through December 31, 2022.
Members must be in good standing to run for office and to attend the nomination meeting. If you want to check your standing, email the Guild office at office@albanyguild.org.
If there is only one nomination for any office, and the person accepts nomination, the person will be elected at the meeting. If there is more than one candidate for any office, a Local Elections Committee will be appointed and a mail-in ballot election will be held.
Nominations for any office may be from the floor, by petition. Petitions may be for an individual candidate in which the name of the candidate, his/her Local unit (if applicable), and department worked listed. Such petitions must also contain the names of at least 25 members. Individuals signing a petition must be members in good standing. These petitions must be filed with the local Secretary at the membership meeting. The secretary shall notify all candidates of their nomination and shall receive from them a written notice of their willingness to serve.
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Don’t forget this Tuesday, Sept. 25 is the annual membership meeting!
The Newspaper Guild of Albany will hold a membership meeting at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the BVMC Church Hall across the street at 250 Old Maxwell Rd.
All seven seats on the Executive Board are up for election. The terms are for three years.
The positions require attendance at the monthly Executive Board meeting, held at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Board members develop bargaining proposals, make decisions on health care and other proposals, and decide on any grievances or other issues that arise.
Also, this will be an opportunity for members to raise any issues or concerns, and to hear about any potential new approaches toward reaching a new contract.
View the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting below:
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Guild Picnic
Join the Albany Newspaper Guild for its annual picnic at Six Mile Waterworks Park in Albany!
What: Albany Newspaper Guild Annual Picnic
When: Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019
Time: 12–4 p.m.
Where: Six Mile Waterworks Park, 135 Fuller Road, Albany
(it’s the park off the first roundabout on Fuller Road when heading toward SUNYPolytechnic Institute)We’ll have all-beef hot dogs, hamburgers, black bean veggie burgers, peach glazed BBQ chicken, mac n’ cheese, salads and more, thanks to Birch Hill Catering.
This is a free event sponsored by the Guild, and a way for us all to get together and enjoy an afternoon of food and yard games as we wrap up the summer!
This is a family-friendly event. There is a playground on site as well as walking trails at the park, and we’ll have coloring books and other things to keep the kids occupied.
Please RSVP below by Wednesday, Sept. 11 with how many will be attending so we can accommodate for food.
Guild-eligible members (both those in good standing, and those who aren’t) as well as Guild alumni are welcome to attend!
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Times Union wants to outsource business office and other Guild updates
A message from the President
I’d like to take the time to highlight the people truly behind the staffing and general operations at the Times Union. You probably already know, but it bears a special letter just for them – the Hearst Corporation.
They’re a special group of folks led by President and CEO Steve Swartz, who is also the vice-chairman of the Business Roundtable.
The Business Roundtable last month put out a statement redefining the purpose of corporations, in essence stating their commitment is no longer just to shareholders but to “all stakeholders.” Members of the chief executives group say it’s time to invest in their employees, support the communities they work in and “deal fairly and ethically” with suppliers.
::slow clap::
Swartz signed on to this new mission among some of the most wealthy CEOs, and I certainly look forward to him putting his money where his mouth is. So far, that really hasn’t been the case.
I think all of us here at the Times Union can confirm that there’s been no investment in its employees for over a decade. Indeed, not only have we not received raises in over 12 years, the Company has cut and cut and cut. New, functioning equipment also is hard to come by, despite working in a media industry that demands the best, high-functioning equipment.
As for our customers, I can confirm they’re disappointed with delivery based on the sheer number of calls, emails and general messages we receive about someone’s paper not being delivered. Please don’t get me started on the website, another thorn in our sides at the Times Union that is dictated by the Hearst Corporation.
This is all to say that, yes, often the decisions to cut staff or reorganize a department isn’t coming from anyone in the Times Union building. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t push back and demand better, especially considering the decisions being made at “the Tower” or in New York City are so haphazard I reckon a kindergartener may be at the helm.
So while the Business Roundtable has waxed poetic about investing in their employees, I encourage everyone not to hold their breath. Instead, call out the hypocrisy and demand better.
Yours in solidarity,
Amanda Fries
President, Albany Newspaper Guild
Company targets layoffs in business office
The Company notified Guild board members Friday that they’re looking to outsource the work done in the business office to Houston in order to save $150,000.
The news was given simultaneously to business office employees, who have been left in the lurch in recent weeks as managers began approaching employees to see if someone would be willing to transfer to a vacant position in the advertising department.
Guild board members met with employees in the business office immediately following the news and are working together to identify other options we can take to retain the work and move forward.
The Company initially had indicated to the Guild that they’d be looking to cut one person from the business office, but would save that person’s job by offering them the position in advertising. Friday’s news strayed from this initial portrayal, with executives indicating they’re looking to execute the layoffs by mid-October.
Under the imposed conditions forced upon the Guild in 2009, the Company must first bargain with the Guild before any work can be outsourced. The Company must provide details on the costs and other benefits of outsourcing the work compared to keeping it in-house. We have requested this information from the Company, to be provided by Wednesday, Sept. 11.
No managers, exempt employees targeted for layoffs
The Company targeted Guild employees only in the recent round of layoffs that cut five Guild members from the Times Union.
No managers, or other exempt employees at the Times Union were laid off by the Company, despite indications that executives were looking at all options to cut costs and save money.
It’s unclear whether the Company’s latest pursuit of layoffs in the business office includes any exempt employees.
It’s important to note those who were cut were among the least senior staff across the Times Union, one of them even a part-time employee, begging the question of what savings the Company really saw with the latest cuts.
Less than a week until the Guild picnic
Despite the latest somber news on the decimation of Guild staff, make sure to RSVP by Wednesday, Sept. 11, for the annual Guild picnic.
The event will be hosted from 12 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Six Mile Waterworks park in Albany and catered by the Birch Hill Catering.
Please let us know if you and your family members can attend so we have an accurate headcount ahead of the picnic.
Food will include hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken and veggie burgers, along with an assortment of sides and drinks. The picnic is family-friendly and everyone is welcome, including Guild alumni and employees who may not be in good standing with the Guild.
Proactive measures taken by Guild to negotiate health insurance
The Guild plans to reach out to the Company this week to formally request information regarding health insurance.
The Company typically approaches the Guild to negotiate these matters, but it has often been at a detriment to members because of the small window given to come to a final decision.
As we’re all well aware, health insurance costs continue to go up for our members, and the Guild is committed to getting the fairest offer for health insurance coverage.
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Extra! Extra! Guild seeing Newsies
Come see Newsies in Albany and show Guild support.
Over 100 years ago, youth who sold newspapers on the streets of New York City led a strike against Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers seeking fair wages for their work.
Sound familiar?
Newsies is loosely based on that 1899 strike of the newsboys who take to the streets after Pulitzer and Hearst raise distribution prices, and is a story many of us at the Times Union – a Hearst-owned paper – can identify with.
What better way to rally our troops than a night out in Albany to see the show and support the Guild?
We have a number of tickets available to see the musical at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 at the Albany Park Playhouse. This is a fun, family-friendly opportunity to get to know your colleagues, take the family out for an evening show, and show our solidarity.
All are welcome to attend. Those interested in tickets should contact Guild President Amanda Fries at amanda@albanyguild.org.
Priority will be given to those in good standing.
To learn more about the show, visit the Park Playhouse website.
Serving the employees of the Times Union in Albany, New York since 1934.
