Post Workers Win Tentative 2-Year Pact

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)After more than three months of negotiations, the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, CWA Local 32035 has reached a tentative agreement on a two-year contract with The Washington Post. The contract protects job security and seniority and provides for a $13 per week raise for all Guild-covered employees, “the first time in memory that the Post has agreed to a raise in the beginning of the first year of the contract,” reports the Guild. Guild-covered Post workers will also receive lump sum payments as well as signing bonuses. While the Guild was not able to win guarantees of comparable jobs if the Post outsources Guild positions, “we saw to it that employees who are laid off will receive an enhanced severance package on a par with recently negotiated buyouts, including at least three weeks’ severance pay for every year of service, and Post-paid health insurance” the Guild’s negotiating committee said. “We believe that this tentative agreement represents the best possible deal at a time when the U.S. economy is shaky, the outlook for the industry is uncertain and many former Guild members have left the newspaper,” the committee said. “This much is certain,” the committee added, “given the Post’s initial demands, this agreement would have been much less favorable without the hard work of those Guild members who stood together, became more active, joined the pickets or simply paid their dues.” The union also noted that “We also believe that this round of labor talks has shown that the Post appears to be moving further toward making short-term gains at the expense of long-term survival.” A ratification vote is set for this Wednesday, July 27.  A ratification vote is set for this Wednesday, July 27. Click here for details on the contract.
- Chris Garlock; photo: at the July 14 Guild demo at the Post; photo by Adam Wright