Blog

The RIGHT to REPORT

President Donald Trump and members of his administration apparently haven’t read the Constitution lately, if ever.

Maybe Mr. Trump doesn’t understand the self-evident truth of the First Amendment right that gave unabridged freedom to the press and the necessary protections it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. Continue reading “The RIGHT to REPORT”

Guild Booth at Excellence in Journalism 2016

Martha Waggoner, Guild International Chairperson and Kevin McGill, News Media Guild members from the Associated Press unit, helped staff a booth at the 2016 Excellence in Journalism conference in New Orleans in September 2016. The conference was a collaboration of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Newspaper Bins in the Snow in Toronto.

The Year That Was

By Julie Reynolds
Reporter-Editor, dfmworkers.org

For NewsGuild-CWA members at Digital First Media newspapers, the year began auspiciously. In January, a dozen units from the nation’s second-largest newspaper chain joined together in an unprecedented coalition to fight for long-sought wage increases and to launch a national #NewsMatters campaign to raise awareness about the importance of local journalism.

It’s a fight that continues as we enter a new year with nothing less than democracy at stake. Continue reading “The Year That Was”

CWA S-T Steffens Lauds Award Winners, Warns of Threats to Journalism

There has never been a more important time to celebrate and lift up journalism. Lately I’ve been hearing a very chilling notion: that we are entering a “post-truth era.”

Why a post-truth era? We have a president who is prone to taking to Twitter to broadcast plain lies, such as his recent outrageous claim that states permitted millions of people to vote illegally. Continue reading “CWA S-T Steffens Lauds Award Winners, Warns of Threats to Journalism”

Bytes and Bits

Toledo Members Approve One-Year Contract at Toledo Blade

The Toledo Newspaper Guild members ratified a one-year contract with the Toledo Blade. The Blade is a division of Block Communications Incorporated.

The contract includes a bonus, a new compensation plan for advertising sales staff, more vacation time, an elimination of unpaid sick days, and a 401k match for employees for the first time. Continue reading “Bytes and Bits”

In Memorium

Marv Cermak, a columnist and Guild member for the Albany Times Union, died at the age of 84. Cermak left $50,000 to the local. In a story posted on the local’s web site, Tim O’Brien, the president of the Albany Newspaper Guild, said, “We are profoundly grateful that Marv chose to honor his long- standing appreciation of the Guild in this way.” Continue reading “In Memorium”

Union Member Rights in the Workplace

Your Right to Form a Union
The National Labor Relations Act guarantees your legal right to join or form a union without interference, restraint or coercion from your employer. The relevant sections of National Labor Relations Act are summarized as follows on the website of the National Labor Relations Board:

  • Employees have the right to unionize, to join together to advance their interests as employees, and to refrain from such activity. It is unlawful for an employer to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of their rights. For example, employers may not respond to a union organizing drive by threatening, interrogating, or spying on pro-union employees, or by promising benefits if they forget about the union.

    • Continue reading “Union Member Rights in the Workplace”

How a Union Leads to a Better Workplace

Once the employer recognizes the employees will be members of The NewsGuild, there is a process to legally negotiate about work rules and standards.

Choosing a union allows employees to negotiate as a group to create a better workplace. Once the employer recognizes the employees will be members of The NewsGuild, there is a process to legally negotiate about work rules and standards, what is know as terms and conditions of employment. Even without a union, the law allows individual employees a right to negotiate their terms and conditions of employment. Continue reading “How a Union Leads to a Better Workplace”