Close to 100 Washington Post employees and their supporters picketed outside the paper’s office on Nov. 14 to protest management’s paltry bargaining proposals and to demand a fair contract.
“We want Jeff Bezos to be a leader and to understand that investing in the people at the Post is investing in the future of the Post,” said Robert Struckman, president of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild. Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post, is estimated to be worth more than $81 billion and is ranked among the world’s richest people.
“We are grateful that the Post has been on a powerful upward trajectory since Bezos became its owner,” said Fredrick Kunkle, the Washington Post unit co-chair. “We only ask that as the Post prospers, so do its employees. All we’re asking for is some measure of job security, a decent retirement fund, and a fair wage.”
A bulletin distributed by the local denounced management’s contract proposals. The Post proposed no across-the-board salary increase in the first year of the new contract, just a $600 lump-sum payment, and a $10 per week pay increase in the second year – “enough for one lunch a week at the food truck,” the bulletin reported.
Management also proposed to cut severance pay by up to almost 80 percent, and to make severance pay conditional on workers surrendering their legal right to sue the Post or collect monetary relief if a government agency finds the dismissal was improper. “That should be illegal,” declared David DeJesus, local secretary-treasurer and the Washington Post unit co-chair. The Post also proposed to match employees’ contributions to their 401(k) accounts with contributions of just 1 percent.
In addition, management is weakening seniority, DeJesus said “to be able to pick and choose who they want to keep. “Over the past few years, the commercial divisions have been particularly hard hit with layoffs and position eliminations. Many of these employees are what I describe as legacy employees, who profile as older, on the job longer, women and minorities,” he said.
Despite their anger at management’s proposals, picketers were upbeat. Spurred on by the Crush Funk Brass band, they chanted, carried signs, and held colorful balloons in the air.