Waterville Ratifies Initial Contract
September 2017 – Members of the News Guild of Maine at the Waterville Morning Sentinel ratified an initial contract with their new employer, MTMA (MaineToday Media Acquisition), based largely on the union’s contract with the paper’s previous owner.
MTMA purchased the paper in June 2015, and hired the majority of Guild-represented employees, but refused to recognize the contract.
The agreement includes a 1.75 percent wage increase in 2017 and another in 2018, a $500 signing bonus, with the possibility of additional bonuses in 2018 and 2019.
The contract also defines union jurisdiction; requires a “just cause” standard for dismissal; provides additional severance for employees laid off out of seniority; restores a fifth week of vacation that existed under the previous contract, and reduces the time it will take employees to earn a third and fourth week of vacation.
The downsides are not insignificant. They include concessions in job security for ad sales reps, a cap on severance pay and an “open shop” for new hires.