Media Worker Rally at the Chronicle

RALLY FOR GOOD FAITH NEGOTIATIONS

The Hearst/Chronicle contract proposals submitted to the various Chronicle unions whose contracts expired on July1, 2005 are intended to allow the Chronicle to outsource work, have non-union employees doing union work, dramatically reduce wages, reduce and/or eliminate each union’s jurisdiction, while creating two tier conditions, wages and benefits. Despite the outrageous demands, the unions have all entered into bargaining.

Pressmen’s Union Local 4 was granted its first meeting with Company negotiators on May 13, 2005, but in reality the Union had unsuccessfully tried for two years to initiate these negotiations. Now all of a sudden the Company is in a rush.

The Company has so far refused to engage in serious discussions of what their proposals mean and how their proposals would work in the pressroom. By no means is the Pressmen’s Union alone in facing contract-gutting proposals. But here is some of what Local 4 faces:

Reduction of wage rates of an average of $10/hour
Extension of hours from 35 to 40 hours/week
Right to earn vacation for “full time” employees only
No strike/no solidarity/no sympathy clause

The Pressmen are bargaining; Hearst/Chronicle is not.

Join us on July 11 at Noon.