Bargaining Update 4/30

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The on-going effort to get MediaNews to move away from its
anti-worker stance --- enabling the company to outsource any and all
jobs --- took a blow to the stomach during Wednesday's abbreviated
session.

The company's counter proposal offered new language that would basically
set up a process to discuss with the Southern California Media Guild/CWA
Local 9400 any possible outsourcing plans before cuts and/or
transfers are made.

Asked if the language moved the company away from a prior commitment
not to outsource newsroom "content providers," MediaNews negotiator
Jim Janiga refined the company's position, saying that the company
would not outsource the jobs to India. However, the jobs could be
taken over among the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (LANG) newspapers.

The company needed to maintain flexibility, Janiga insisted, saying
that it would keep a "cadre" in Long Beach to produce local news (a
term that's lost its meaning for MediaNews).

Janiga said he had been unable to talk to company officials,
including publisher Mark Ficarra and executive editor Rich Archbold,
regarding the outsourcing and wage-proposal issues, thus limiting
Wednesday's session, but said he expects to do that prior to the
scheduled contract talks May 8.