Teamsters Withdraw Three Claims, NLRB Drops One
Thanks BE for providing us with this article/statement from the News-Press! Here it is with an all caps headline and a cliche quote from the Center for Union Studies -- where's a quote from one of The Organized? Is this article biased? Who wrote it? There isn't a byline....is this going above the fold?
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TEAMSTERS WITHDRAW THREE UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE CLAIMS AGAINST NEWS-PRESS; FOURTH CLAIM DISMISSED BY NLRB
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – December 11, 2006 – The Santa Barbara News-Press has been advised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that the Teamsters Union has agreed to withdraw three of the unfair labor practice charges they filed against the paper, after having been informed the NRLB found insufficient evidence to proceed on the charges. The NLRB dismissed a fourth claim brought by the union against the News-Press.
The process for handling unfair labor practice charges involves an in-depth investigation of the facts and a determination by the NLRB whether sufficient evidence exists to schedule a hearing. If the NLRB finds insufficient justification after its review, the charging party is offered a choice to withdraw the claim or have the agency issue a dismissal.
The Teamsters agreed to withdraw the three unfair labor practice charges that they filed against the paper, which are:
1) An allegation that the Employer unfairly discharged an employee
2) A claim that the Employer conducted an unlawful interview with an employee
3) An allegation that the Employer unlawfully changed work assignments
The fourth claim was an allegation by the Teamsters that the paper engaged in unlawful surveillance of employees. The NLRB made the decision that further proceedings were not warranted.
“We are encouraged that after a thorough investigation by the NLRB, these four baseless union claims were found to be without merit,” said David J. Millstein, general counsel for the Santa Barbara News-Press.
The NLRB also announced it will set a hearing date on the paper’s objections to the union election.
The continued Teamsters orchestrated publicity activities are intended to damage the paper’s current and future business relationships. The Teamsters’ ongoing campaign against the News-Press most recently included accelerated threatening behavior which forces the paper to file unfair labor practice charges against the union.
The News-Press believes that the barrage of intimidating tactics being played out in Santa Barbara against the paper have nothing to do with the newsroom employees at the News-Press. Such public displays highlight Teamster underlying motives to pacify and retain members to justify union dues at a time that union membership is declining.
“Missing from the debate thus far has been an examination of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters history,” said Sarah Longwell, director of communications for the non-profit Center for Union Facts in Washington D.C., “Four of the last eight presidents have been indicted. It has long been a poster child for corruption.”
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TEAMSTERS WITHDRAW THREE UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE CLAIMS AGAINST NEWS-PRESS; FOURTH CLAIM DISMISSED BY NLRB
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – December 11, 2006 – The Santa Barbara News-Press has been advised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that the Teamsters Union has agreed to withdraw three of the unfair labor practice charges they filed against the paper, after having been informed the NRLB found insufficient evidence to proceed on the charges. The NLRB dismissed a fourth claim brought by the union against the News-Press.
The process for handling unfair labor practice charges involves an in-depth investigation of the facts and a determination by the NLRB whether sufficient evidence exists to schedule a hearing. If the NLRB finds insufficient justification after its review, the charging party is offered a choice to withdraw the claim or have the agency issue a dismissal.
The Teamsters agreed to withdraw the three unfair labor practice charges that they filed against the paper, which are:
1) An allegation that the Employer unfairly discharged an employee
2) A claim that the Employer conducted an unlawful interview with an employee
3) An allegation that the Employer unlawfully changed work assignments
The fourth claim was an allegation by the Teamsters that the paper engaged in unlawful surveillance of employees. The NLRB made the decision that further proceedings were not warranted.
“We are encouraged that after a thorough investigation by the NLRB, these four baseless union claims were found to be without merit,” said David J. Millstein, general counsel for the Santa Barbara News-Press.
The NLRB also announced it will set a hearing date on the paper’s objections to the union election.
The continued Teamsters orchestrated publicity activities are intended to damage the paper’s current and future business relationships. The Teamsters’ ongoing campaign against the News-Press most recently included accelerated threatening behavior which forces the paper to file unfair labor practice charges against the union.
The News-Press believes that the barrage of intimidating tactics being played out in Santa Barbara against the paper have nothing to do with the newsroom employees at the News-Press. Such public displays highlight Teamster underlying motives to pacify and retain members to justify union dues at a time that union membership is declining.
“Missing from the debate thus far has been an examination of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters history,” said Sarah Longwell, director of communications for the non-profit Center for Union Facts in Washington D.C., “Four of the last eight presidents have been indicted. It has long been a poster child for corruption.”
posted by Sara De la Guerra | 12/12/2006 04:46:00 AM
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14 Comments:
It's a press release issued by Agnes Huff, Wendy's PR person and distributed to the news media by www.businesswire.com.
You can also find it on Google News, where it is clearly identified as a press release and has Huff's contact numbers at the end.
It shows up like an article though on the NP web site....
Ok, but will someone please tell me if the substance is actually true???? I had heard last week that the NLRB was going to prosecute the N-P. What happened?!?!?!?!
Could it be the Teamsters were up to their usual dirty tricks?
Looks like the NP will be vindicated. Yeah!
The News-Press is still getting prosecuted -- on other charges filed by the Teamsters.
Meanwhile, the NLRB is not going after the Teamsters on any charges filed by the NP.
Sara, this is not a story you've posted. It's a press release, hence no quotes from the Teamsters. That said, today's article in the NP has no Teamster quotes either. We should be discussing that piece . . .
Agreed -- we should be discussing that piece. My understanding is that it is the same....no? Perhaps the statement was put on their web site last night and then the article posted today?
As usual, see CraigSmithsBlog.com
for an explanation.
NLRB ruled a little to benefit Newspress, and then Newspress wholly converted their own news release distributed by their flak and pretended it was a news article, appearing on page 3 of the print edition.
NLRB also ruled in favor of the Teamsters, as written up on page 12 of Daily Sound yesterday and in the Independent Media Blog yesterday.
What really matters is the court proceeding to happen later in January. that is the Real Deal that will cut through all this crap and force the Newspress to negotiate with its employees as the law requires not that the newsroom employees have unionized.
Who are you people that applaud a victory for greed and dishonesty?
Why do you celebrate a rich divorce with nothing better to do than buy a paper and run it into the ground, employees and all? Why?
What is it about this woman, her pathetic boy friend, and her lawyer monkeys you so admire? It must be her money, since she is bankrupt on all counts that add up to a decent human being who understands the weight her decisions have on the lives of others.
You need to look at the Center for Union Facts that Agnes Huff quotes in her press release. I examine this entire issue over at my blog if you want to stop by.
McCaw is the town bully of Santa Barbara. Let's run her out.
The News-Press will be prosecuted by the NLRB at least for its cancellation of Starshine Roshell's column, and for threatening and trying to prevent newsroom employees from delivering a demand letter to McCaw. There are additional charges pending at the NLRB, and the Union is optimistic that more prosecution is in the offing. The News-Press' first set of charges against the Union have been dismissed and the NP's appeal of that dismissal denied, and the remaining ones -- complaining about the Union's lawful activity at the Biltmore -- are likely to be dumped shortly.
The hearing on the NP's election objections -- which are quite similar to (even Huff called them "consistent" with) the NP's already-dismissed charges -- will take place relatively soon, and there is every reason to believe they will be exposed for the ludicrous, cynical, blatant delay fodder that they are.
Or, in the spirit of the season, why don't we send her a hundred copies of "Making History," the wonderful book by the late, great Katherine Graham, who learned how to be a publisher through on the job training. Maybe Mrs. McCaw just needs a good role model and a new start in the new year.
The charges withdrawn by the Teamsters Union were minor. There are other major charges pending with the NLRB with which the Teamsters expect to be successful. The New-Press's anti-worker tactics have been outrageous. Despite the difficult work climate created by the employer, these journalists are courageously standing up for what is right.
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