Pekin Workers Ratify Contract
September 2017 – Guild members at the Pekin Daily Times ratified a two-year contract with the paper in July that will continue a wage freeze that has been in place for more than a decade and reduce severance payments. The Illinois paper is owned by GateHouse Media.
The contract also provided a $400 ratification bonus, additional paid time off, cell phone reimbursement, and improvements to mileage expenses.
Severance pay will be reduced to three days’ pay per year of service, capped at 12 weeks, following a formula used by GateHouse Media at the company’s other papers. Under the old agreement, employees received one week’s pay per year of service. The same formula will be used for employees with 40 years of service or more, up to a maximum of 26 weeks. Prior to implementing any layoffs, the employer will accept voluntary resignations for a period of 14 days.
Employees will receive two floating holidays per year, in addition to six holidays granted under the previous contract. Full-time employees will receive up to five paid personal days and five paid sick leave days per calendar year, up from a total of five days under the previous agreement. Unused days will not be rolled over to successive years.
The contract also calls for a new drug testing policy. Under the new policy, a confirmed positive test for drug or alcohol use is grounds for immediate termination. The previous contract called for “progressive discipline,” beginning with suspension following a first positive test. An employee who has a drug or alcohol problem that has not resulted in and is not the immediate subject of disciplinary action, may request time off to participate in a rehabilitation or treatment program.
A leave of absence may be granted under the Family and Medical Leave Act for people who test positive for alcohol or drugs, provided the employee agrees to abstain from use of the problem substance; abides by all GateHouse Media policies, rules and prohibitions relating to conduct in the workplace, and the leave of absence will not cause the company undue hardship.
The Pekin unit is part of the United Media Guild local.