Friday, September 26, 2008

Talks continue on outsourcing and wages

P-T Bargaining update: Outsourcing continues to be a sticking point for the company, who remain doggedly insistent on securing the right to fire P-T employees at will and farm out the work.

Despite the company's assertion that "we're on the cusp of a depression" and "we cannot bury our heads in the sand", no reasonable explanation was given for rumors that the company — famously leveraged to near bankruptcy by its relentless acquisitions —may be considering the purchase of yet another paper, The San Diego Tribune-Union. The rumors follow(s) last month's Democratic National Convention (in Denver), where the company's largess came in the form of a $1.5 million party for (media) attendees.

The bargaining team came to the table with a revised proposal that reduced annual merit pay increases by half, but that was still insufficient for the company, who offered nothing in return and went so far as to attempt to kill any further negotiations on the issues, stating that he saw "no reason to schedule another date".

We disagreed. The parties go back at the table Oct. 9.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If management keep saying were not going to out source you then why have the language ?
We should go with the language from the last contract?

Money is important but this is about management making a commitment to us like we make a commitment to the paper and the cities we cover.

You have to look at why they want this.

Cheaper labor ? Break Union ? Yes and Yes

Demand Better!

Anonymous said...

Just sign a damed contract already! You people aren't just dumb, you're depressing.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Dean, it's awful knowing we let you down...

Anonymous said...

" Just sign a damed contract .... "

Give us a reason why we should take the outsourcing language ?

And yes it's depressing dealing with managers who won't stand-up and defend their workers and the irreparable harm to the coverage.
They just sit in their glass offices, never engage with the newsroom and order another cake for the next journalist that bails out.

Go Dodgers! Bury the Cubs!!