September 2017 – Delegates to the Guild conference in August honored several members whose work has earned special attention.
The Guild Service Award was given to Diane Mastrull, the unit chairperson at the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she represents more than 200 journalists.
Mastrull was nominated by The Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia for her “accomplishments as an outstanding Guild leader, co-worker, volunteer and inspiration to the readers of the Philadelphia Inquirer.”
“Diane Mastrull is that rare breed of union leader who’s respected by management and beloved by her peers,” said Local President Howard Gensler. “Part watchdog, part bulldog and constant mother to the multitude of dysfunctional human beings who populate a newsroom.”
Dean Olsen, of the United Media Guild local, was the recipient of the Guild’s Larry Cohen Movement Building Award, which is named after the former president of the Communications Workers of America, the Guild’s parent union.
Olsen led the Guild’s victorious organizing drive at Missouri’s State Journal-Register, served on the bargaining team during negotiations with GateHouse Media, and coordinated successful campaigns for public support — staging demonstrations, conducting outreach, giving media interviews and launching an advertising campaign.
He followed that with an organizing campaign in central Illinois, where he helped guide leaders at the Rockford Register Star in a successful union drive. He was also instrumental in identifying and nurturing activists at the Lakeland Ledger and Sarasota Herald-Tribune, two Florida newspapers that unionized in August 2016.
CWA Honors Locals
At the CWA Convention that immediately followed the Guild conference, several locals were honored.
The Canadian Media Guild and the NewsGuild of New York won awards for organizing 100 or more new members over the last two years.
In addition, the Toledo Local, Youngstown Local, Terre Haute Local and the Kenosha Local were honored by the CWA and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation for their outstanding participation in the AIDS fundraising campaign. They were also honored for their participation in the Union-to-Union Program of International Solidarity.
