The union also opposes a move by the DNA to change the entire circulation operaüon by reducing the number of district managers (giving fewer managers larger areas), and changing the status of newspaper carriers from independentoperators toagents (giving the DNA control over subscriber lists and possibly eliminaüng the union-member status of managers). There also remain unresolved issues surroundinghealth insurance, sick leave, vacation üme, and other beneflts. And the DNA wants some joumalists to designate themselves as "professionals" on a salary, on cali all the time, with no eligibility for overtime. The union also states that equitable pay is being threatened by DNA proposals to replace across-the-board raises for newsroom employees with merit-based raises - which the union views as an arbltrary system, fostering favoritism, and havlng no clear guidelines. The DNA also wants to decrease the number of Jobs in some areas (particularly mailroom employees). The unión claims the DNA wants to fill many jobs now reserved for union members with non-union employees and slash many full-time positions to part-time with no beneflts or Job security. The News and Free Press, in a July 1 6 artlcle, stated that the DNA made an estünated $46 müllon proñt in 1994. Now that the papers have posted a proflt two years in a row, workers say it's time for a ralse. ![]() Workers have gone without a ralse slnce the 1989 merger, when the DNAwaspleadlngforhelp to keep the papers alive. The Issues The basic issues over which the workers are striking are equitable pay, job security, maintainingbeneflts, and Job deflnlüons. During the strike, however, theyhavepubllshedajoint paper seven days a week. Normally the papers publlshed separate edltlons Mondays through Saturdays and a comblned paper on Sundays. Of the Free Press' 303 editorial staff members, 265 are Gulld members on strike. , posted proflts of $2.64 billion In 1994. The Pree Press had a pre-strike daily circulatlon of 545,000. , which had eamlngs of $3.82 biUJon In 1994. The News' owner is media giant Gannett Co. Of those, 190 are striking Guild members. The News had a pre-strike daily circulaüon of 356,000 and an editorial staffof 300. The understanding- which albwed for the exception to anti-monopofy laws- was that without the JOA, atleast one paper would not survive. The JOAwas a result of economie dÜBculües facing both The News and the Free Press and establishes a 100-year link between the two papers' owners, Gannett Co. The DNA was formed in 1 989 in the wake of the JOA reached between the two papers. At present, the papers and the DNA are only wüling to meet with individual unions. Throughout the talks this summer, however, management has reversed its posiüon several times as to whether it would bargain at all with the Council. Normalfy the Council JoinÜy represents all the unions in bargaining economie issues wlth the management (and individual unions meet with the papers on other issues, Le. Espedalty in light of the 1989 Joint Operaüng Agreement (JOA), which strengthened the hand of the papers by consolidaüng managerial (non-union) operations, the power and thus eflFecüveness of one labor organizauon with greater numbers became essential. For instance, the papers would try to bargain flrst wlth the union they considered the weakest, to set a precedent for subsequent contracts. Fito: to that time, each union would bargain its own contract- a üme-consuming process riddled with problems. The Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions was formed in 1971 in an effort to improve the bargainlng process on all sides. ![]() The striking unions involved are the Teamsters Locáis 3, Newspaper Guild of Detroit Local 22, Graphic Communications International Union Locáis 13N and 289N, the DetroitTypographical Union Local 18, and Engravers Local 289M. The Council, an informal labor alliance, is the unions' designatedbargainingagentAmongits members are circulatlon managers, customer service workers, truck drivers, mailroom employees, reporters, photographers, copy editors, graphic arüsts, assistant editors, maintenance workers, and press operators. The striklng workers are members of the six unions whlch make up the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions. 2 1, talks facilitated by state and federal mediators have resumed, butas AGENDA goes to press there has been no measurable progresa. At the time thatworkers walked out, talks between the unlons and the two newspapers had broken down followlng an impasse on vlrtually every area of contract negotlations. This has been the case since July 13, when the 2,500 unlon workers at the Detroit Free Press, The DetroitNews and the company thatoversees the business operations of both papers, the Detroit Newspapers Agency (DNA), went on strike. ■ arnlng: Don't put your I M coins In that Detroit News ■ or Detroit Free Press box! '%ïj% iLj The paper has been pro■ duced by scab labor.
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