Before the Company canceled our contract, they were forewarned: That would open the door to us launching boycotts. They did it anyway.

So now the Guild has launched a Web site, cancelthetu.com. Visitors can go online and send an e-mail to Publisher George Hearst or they can click to fill out a form giving the Guild the authority to cancel their subscription. The Guild can then decide when and how many to cancel at a time. (By having a printout, we can also notify those folks when a contract is settled and we want them to resume.)

We never wanted to be in this position, but the Company’s bullying behavior is making it necessary. Check out the site, which also gives you a peek at the messages currently being displayed on our billboard on I-90.

The United Steelworkers Local 9265 called this morning to invite the Guild to speak at their annual conference.

One chapter of United University Professions donated $250 to the Guild. Another has signed up more than 20 people to be associate members of our union as a show of solidarity.

Sickened by the Company’s treatment of us, the New York State Nurses Association staff canceled their subscriptions. Other unions have called to say they are willing to circulate boycott cards or do whatever we ask.

The Albany Common Council passed a resolution in our support, and the Albany County Legislature sent letters to Publisher George Hearst. A slew of other local government bodies are considering similar resolutions.

Every day, the calls, letters and e-mails increase. The support is tremendous, and we are very grateful for every bit of it.

The Guild came to the bargaining table with a revised proposal Wednesday, but the Company wanted no further discussion and was unwilling to even listen to further changes. Instead, its bargainers demanded that its “best and last offer” be taken to a vote of the membership.

That would allow the Company to outsource any and all jobs and to lay off anyone regardless of seniority and without providing any guidelines on what workers could do to keep their jobs. It would raise employees’ share of health insurance costs 5 percent on January 1, eating up more than $300 of the $500 cash bonus the Company proposes. (There would be no raises over the three-year life of the agreement.)

Guild bargainers decided that, given the Company’s refusal to move any further, the time has come for the membership to speak out through its vote. The Executive Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (which is tomorrow as this is being written but today as many of you are reading this) to discuss setting a time and location for the vote.

“We believe the bargaining committee has done all it can do up to this point,” Guild President Tim O’Brien said. “Now it is up to the membership. We are disappointed at the Company’s refusal to do what we remain willing to do: explore the proposals and make amendments to move us closer together.”

When one of the Company’s two out-of-town lawyers said last time that past performance reviews and disciplinary letters could be used in deciding who gets laid off, the Guild asked to review those files. In beginning that review, the Guild swiftly learned many performance reviews had yet to be filed, two out of the nine files we examined had the wrong person’s reviews in them and others contained extremely old disciplinary letters.

“We wanted to have further discussion on this discovery, which we made earlier in the day, but the Company did not want to discuss how it might use those inaccurate files to lay someone off,” O’Brien said.

In the days ahead, the Guild will provide its members with a complete list of everything in the Company’s demands and an explanation of what it all means. The parties had reached some tentative agreements on relatively minor issues that will be part of the package.

The Executive Board will also decide what recommendation to make to the membership.

As soon as a membership meeting date is set, we will inform you.

Heard of Helium?

It’s not just that gas that fills balloons and makes you talk funny. It’s a chance to replace local news reporters with, well, anyone in the community who wants to write for a few bucks. And a major partner is the Hearst Corp.

Here’s the pitch from Helium’s own Web page:

“Who knows your community better than you? Helium has partnered with newspapers around the country – from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Santa Rosa, California – to tap in to writers with the inside edge. You’re the ones who know the local dining hot spots, town politics, the real estate market, hidden shopping jewels, the best dog parks and more!”

 

“If you want to write for your local paper, here’s where to start. Find your newspaper on the list below. The link will take you to a page with links to the newspaper’s current titles as well as any Marketplace titles currently available. Check back often – we’re adding new newspaper partners every week!”

And if you look at the list of nine newspapers, six of them are owned by the Hearst Corp. All six are in Connecticut and fall under the jurisdiction of, you guessed it, Mark Aldam.

So if  you’re a local reporter and think your work can’t be outsourced, think again. There is someone very excited  to write about the best local dog park just waiting to cover your beat. Sure, most of the stories they generate are garbage, but we’re not sure a company that would change the name of its “Capital Region Voices” to “City Brights” because that’s what it’s called in San Francisco cares any more about quality or being truly local. This Web site shows the Hearst Corporation’s claims to care about quality are a bunch of hot air.

Stacy Wood has agreed to continue serving on the bargaining team after taking a buyout from her position.

The Guild has reached out to members in advertising, and the answer is that employees retain confidence in Stacy’s continued ability to represent them.

“People in advertising have told me the increased workload and state of the industry make it very difficult for them to find time to serve on the bargaining team at this time,” Guild President Tim O’Brien said. “They also are reluctant to join the team so deep into negotiations. I’ve been advised that people are very confident that Stacy will continue to be an effective bargainer and that she brings to the table a detailed understanding of how the advertising department works and the pressures members there face.”

It is not unprecedented in the Guild for a former employee to continue serving.

“We greatly appreciate Stacy’s continued willingness to spend time negotiating,” O’Brien said. “She’s a pro. She’s highly responsible, great to work with, and she truly cares about the people who work at the Times Union. We’re grateful she is willing to continue to work with us.”