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.

The Guild is considering holding a social event called “The Book in the Drawer.”

Many newspaper employees keep a novel in progress in a bottom drawer, hoping some day to get it published.

We thought you might like to hear some of your colleagues’ prose or to get a chance to read some of your scribblings to an audience of (hopefully) appreciative listeners. It can be nonfiction as well.

If we’re going to try this, we’d first like to see how many people would be interested in reading so we can determine how much time each person would get. (No, you can’t read the whole thing.)

CLICK HERE to show your interest.

With the shifting landscape in the Times Union, some of us may be called in for meetings about our performance. Did you know we have the right to have a union representative present during discussions about our performance? We do.

Guild stewards can witness and participate in the conversation. If necessary, they are familiar with typical performance plans and can help make sure you get a fair deal.

Anytime you believe a meeting is about your performance — before the meeting,
during the meeting — you can say “I respectfully request union representation.” Do not ask your manager if you need union representation — say that you want it. 

At the very least, tell a union representative after the meeting so the union can guide, help and advocate for you. Don’t wait. The earlier the union knows there is a problem, the more it can do to help.

We also have the right to ask managers to provide information comparing our performance to our peers. If management won’t provide it, the Guild can request it on our behalf. Management has a legal obligation to respond to a union request.

Remember: ask for union representation. It’s your right.

The conventions are held back to back, from April 18-23 in Pittsburgh, Pa. this year. The Guild convention — formally known as the sector conference — starts with registration Thursday, April 18. Guild members from throughout the United States and Canada meet April 19 and 20. Registration for the CWA Convention follows on April 21, with the convention itself held on April 22 and 23. You would fly back to Albany on April 24.

As a delegate, you get to listen to and participate in discussions about the union, seek advice from our International and CWA leaders, and help make decisions on the unions’ future.

Attendance is mandatory for all delegates. Your presence is recorded and absences are noted. Sessions tend to last from 8 a.m. until after 5 p.m. and sometimes 6. You are given a break for lunch.

Delegates are placed on union leave, with their pay provided by the Guild. The union also covers all expenses, including the flight, hotel and meals. After the convention, you’d be expected to provide all documents distributed to the delegates and to make a report to the Executive Board on what occurred there that can be shared with the membership.

If you’re interested in being a delegate, please notify the Guild by February 1, 2013. If there are more nominees than delegate slots, an election will be scheduled.