A few of our union people went over to Torrance today to introduce themselves to people there and hand out some contact information. Why not? There's been a lot of chatter here (and on other blogs) about the organizing win at BANG-EB and what it could mean for us here:
"Great news! We should try something like that down here. Let's have a LANG-wide guild...and soon."Another anonymous poster wrote
"Ok so what is the plan? Sounds like the combination of leadership and members made the difference up there. I think they had a plan to start with. MediaNews has been in SoCal for more than a decade. I think its about time we moved forward and the guild leadership hopefully give 9400 members the confidence that there is a plan. Cause the days of separate contracts are over and the time for " One Big LANG " is here."Responding, another reader wrote, "Why not? Let's do it!"
Under another post on the Bay Area campaign, these comments:
1. What is to keep all the Southern California LANG papers from unionizing? 2. Why on earth are we not doing it?And this:
"The rallying cry at every single LANG newspaper should be WHAT DO WE WANT? UNION! WHEN DO WE WANT IT! NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"To be fair, there are a number of anti-union views expressed here, though perhaps not so much anti-union as frustrated or resigned thinking that the union can't do anything, as if it is some third-party entity.
Fact is, we understand there IS interest in the Guild out there. We're really glad about that, because we know that the more there are of us, the better our chances are of ensuring better jobs for us and better journalism for Southern California. We can only do that if we come from a position of strength. Unified, we can use our seat at the table to make a difference; to work with management to find the creative solutions to the huge challenges our company faces without sacrificing our fair wages, decent working conditions, more of our jobs and future opportunities.
We're not interested in bad-mouthing our company in a disrespectful, public way. But its no secret that the company's problems are indeed our problems because its demands for what we think are short-sighted concessions won't make our products better – or our work lives better.
The only way we can join in the decision-making processes that affect our lives is if we stand together as one. The Guild is only as strong as its members. We can be better. We can do this.
Are you ready?
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15 comments:
Very nice job on making a
presence at the Breeze. That is a first. I love it!!!!
" To be fair, there are a number of anti-union views expressed here, though perhaps not so much anti-union as frustrated or resigned thinking that the union can't do anything, as if it is some third-party entity."
Ok union dues paid go to what entity?
The entity is CWA/Local 9400. And if entity means ghost that is truly appropriate.
Now so our dues pay someone to rep us and help us with outreach/recruitment. Now up north they paid Hall to get the north going. So what do we ask of those reps? Very simple ...a plan and a vision.
Time is what we don't have as we lose thousands of newspaper staffers.
Going down to the Breeze was not only smart but in the 10 years or so since cwa/tng merged, was the most movement I have seen in a long while.
No saying that the guild is only as strong as their member. Have you seen how many people who work at the Press-Telegram now? You can't say that the Press-telegram guild members haven't been active. They a spoken at functions, rallied and stood before city council? More than other So-cal MediaNews papers.
It the Organizing triangle isn't working then break that mould
TNG should be a beast not as ghost.
This is a good start.
Lets not focus our energy finally on SoCal.
Hey What happened to the City Council inquiry on the relationship with the Press-Telegram ?
" We're not interested in bad-mouthing our company in a disrespectful, public way. "
Wuss!
let's stay focused on the battle. the stress-telegram needs to be giving information on the various aspects of the efforts now being done. thus far, there's been scant details. what, for instance, is the response to the company's double talk about finances, offering zero to p-t staff but gushing to give increases at the breeze?
As a Breeze staffer I would campaign aggressively AGAINST any efforts to unionize. Why rock the boat when things are calm? This is the PT's desperate attempt to gain strength. Sorry but it's not going to work!
What do you mean by calm?
"As a Breeze staffer I would campaign aggressively AGAINST any efforts to unionize. Why rock the boat when things are calm? This is the PT's desperate attempt to gain strength. Sorry but it's not going to work!"
It's not exactly a big secret just what happens to newspapers after they get bought by MediaNews. They get gutted, and content gets slashed. The lucky ones survive as a shell of what they used to be. The unlucky ones go under.
What's your plan for after things aren't so calm? If you want to come out to SB, and take a look at what they did to the Sun, you might rethink your strategy. Not going union didn't help us out.
But sure, I guess there's a chance that the Breeze will be the one and only MediaNews paper ever in the company's history that doesn't get ruined, and no one will get laid off, and that you'll keep getting those raises, in the middle of the worst period for newspapers ever.
If you want to, go ahead and play the odds. Someone wins the lottery every day. Today it could be you.
breeze staffers need to look at state and national events. the problem is that the newspaper guild's new leadership needs to find a solid strategy to bring about job security and living/fair contracts ... in a timely fashion. "organizing" months and months after launching a recruitment effort is not timely or effective "work."
Your right , I'm sorry but union leaders always say " It's not what can the union do for you its what you can do for the union. "
People need to see the results and all they see the union asleep at the wheel.
The union should willing to take grievances and move them to a level where they get results and establish a precedence.
Letting Jim Janiga stall ! and the Breeze getting a raise ! and not us as well is inexcusable ! and not only shame on him but shame on the union.
We have bills to pay and mouths to feed!
I could see needing a union at the Breeze if there was some sort of problem with management.
But since I have been here management has treating us fair, with respect and they are actually thankful of our efforts.
All a union would do here is put up a wall between something that's been running great here since long before media news ever showed up.
There is a culture of cooperation here.
I don't know who told you that a union at the Breeze would be welcomed, because they are sadly mistaken.
If we had wanted to remain with the guild we would have already made the attempt ourselves to get something started. But that is not the case.
We don't need the petty fighting and grievance filing here.
I'm sorry why do you think the grievances filed at the PT are petty? ( Earl ? )
How long have you been at the breeze for? Are you a transfer? If so how long at the PT
Because I don't know if you know but people are bailing from the breeze as well as the PT.
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/07/exreporter_pens_farewell.php#more
Dean Singleton has smelled the blood in the water, and the blood is your satisfactory for now Copley Press pay scale.
Think, why they gave you the recent raise? Yes your talented journalists, but it is also so the Breeze doesn't go union. Do you think that Dean gives out raises consistently? No. Well if we get a contract do you think they will keep giving you those raises?
Dean has turned on you. He always eats his young in the end.
Just please research what he has done to the business and how he does business. The union isn't perfect but it helps. Its the one that brought you that thing called the weekend.
Lets discuss this.
Look there are two types of business investors, People who buy businesses and build them up for profit and businesses that buy companies to break them down for profit. Like selling properties, letting India do the work for cheap ( i.e. OC Register ) etc.
I mean if your making a good hamburger do you get cheaper meat, take out the onions lettuce and tomatoes to save money?
Its a recipe for failure.
I hear the frustration about not having a union but I'm a Breeze person and I'm not alone, thinking we should consider the option of a Union.
"But sure, I guess there's a chance that the Breeze will be the one and only MediaNews paper ever in the company's history that doesn't get ruined..."
Are you actually trying to make the point that a union would save quality journalism and competitive wages at the Breeze? What, just as it did at the P-T? I don't understand how you can make the claim that your Breeze colleagues would be better off following the P-T's path. Seems to me, Singleton does whatever Singleton wants to do.
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