Major Victory for Teamsters!
Craig Smith reported today that the NLRB has "adopted an administrative law judge's findings and recommendations that upheld the 33 to 6 vote in favor of unionization, in effect, overruling the News-Press' objections to the outcome of the election".
What does this mean? The Graphic Communications Conference of the Teamster's Union is now the bargaining unit for the newsroom employees at the News-Press. As Craig points out, the hearings we have been posting about will continue as they are about a different issue but this is good news for the rank and file in the newsroom.
What does this mean? The Graphic Communications Conference of the Teamster's Union is now the bargaining unit for the newsroom employees at the News-Press. As Craig points out, the hearings we have been posting about will continue as they are about a different issue but this is good news for the rank and file in the newsroom.
Labels: NLRB, Santa Barbara News-Press, Teamsters
posted by Sara De la Guerra | 8/17/2007 06:49:00 PM
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12 Comments:
This is great news! And it only took a year!
It is great news except Wendy has made sure there is almost nobody left to bargain with. What does that mean for the union? Wendy can be found to be in violation of the NLRB on all counts, but without some teeth to make it really painful for her, why should she care? In her twisted mind she will wear it like a badge of honor and the fines are not going to hurt her mega sized pocket book. It is all so sad.
Thanks Wendy for establishing the Teamsters in Santa Barbara! Jimmy Hoffa would send you a Christmas card and make a nice donation to Billionaires Unhappy with Thanksgiving Turkey Slaughter (aka, BUTTS).
In naval parlance the NLRB decision has blown a gaping hole at the waterline of Wendy's Yacht (aka the SBNP), already foundering badly in and befouling our local waters.
The unchecked reign of bizarre Queen Queeg is at an end.
Whether something worthwhile can now be salvaged from the wreck and ruin remains to be seen.
Good news of a sort ...
Wendy has slowly been hiring new reporters, but they're temps -- hired through a temporary agency.
Can they be represented by a union in contract talks?
When the New York Times owned the paper, some of the editorial staff worked as temps for years, 40-plus hours a week, never getting benefits.
Sounds like Wendy has already started doing that.
Maybe it's one of those Journalism 101 things, but, next Thursday, when Steepleton is on the stand again, someone should ask him why the story about the union victory didn't run Saturday morning.
It was another AP wire story about the News-Mess, so there is no excuse to kill it, since the News-Press runs lots of wire stories now.
Prediction: in Sunday's paper Armstrong, who obviously has drunk Wendy and Nipper's kool-aid deeply, will spin the victory in a bizarre direction, as if readers are idiots.
Mrs. McCaw already has her new strategy in place.
Promise all her temporary newsroom employees who might be covered by a union contract -- there are at least five -- fulltime jobs with benefits if they agree to vote for decertifying the union if there's no contract after a year.
She'll stall and delay contract talks as long as she can, then use the newcomers to help vote the union out.
The story in the News-Press is on B-9, 3 short paragraphs, 2"X4", no by-line (just attributed to "staff report").
My bet is that this means nothing to Ms. McCaw. The News-Press management will carry on as if there were no ruling. The quality of the paper will continue to degrade. The talented but hungry former staff will drift off to other endeavors. Scott and Travis will end their respective careers writing lost and abused animal stories for a lousy, low circulation, parochial newspaper, and the citizens of Santa Barbara will not get the daily newspaper we truly want until a courageous publisher sweeps into town, goes all in, and creates one.
We have collectively found a way to have a lose lose situation and to bring out the very worst in all of us. There are no doubt truths and exagerations on both sides and lots of blame to go around. There is a balance of terror with both sides having enough power and determination to see that the other does not succeed while at the same time not having the power to achieve their own objectives.
We don't seem to be headed to having a good newspaper in Santa Barbara and Mrs. McCaw will never have either the personal or financial rewards that I assume she would like to have.
What would happen if each of us moved our attention and energy to finding a win win solution? What would that solution look like? What could you do to achieve that? What do I need to do to achieve that? Aren't we collectively good enough to find a solution? Aren't we collectively smart enough to find a solution?
How can we once again demostrate how special Santa Barbara is?
I'm not a big fan of unions but I do understand why this group of NP staffers felt it was the appropriate route for them. I am pleased for the (sadly, mostly former) employees that were vindicated by this ruling.
So say Wendy does somehow over throws the union. I read something that made me think she still had a chance but don't remember details. What's to stop the next batch of people she hires from voting in a union in a couple of years, assuming the NP is still around? Is there a legal reason that would prohibit employees from trying again?
4:20 PM- who is this we you speak of? are you aware of how many people tried to offer the olive branch to the red queen only to have her 'negotiate' through shark like lawyers... you sound sweet & well intentioned but just a bit naive
We have collectively found a way to have a lose lose situation and to bring out the very worst in all of us. There are no doubt truths and exagerations on both sides and lots of blame to go around. There is a balance of terror with both sides having enough power and determination to see that the other does not succeed while at the same time not having the power to achieve their own objectives.
Lying like that is not the route to a "win win". Ms. McCaw has lost every one of her legal battles, and will continue to do so -- that's because she's in the wrong. You can't get to "win win" without accountability for wrongdoing.
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