Contract ratified

Guild members Thursday ratified a 2005-2008 contract with Journal Sentinel Inc.

With a few absentee ballots left to count, the preliminary vote total is 110 in favor to 23 opposed. That's the most "no" votes ever cast on a contract recommended by the leadership and bargaining committee, reflecting dissatisfaction with the combination of the smallest wage package in years and rising health-care costs. A final vote total is expected early next week.

Guild and company negotiators will now put the contract into final form for signing as soon as possible. Most terms and conditions of the new contract will take effect as soon as it's signed, with others -- including new vacation provisions -- kicking in on Jan. 1 and some taking effect in future years. Back pay could take several weeks to calculate and distribute; management says the payments are likely to be divided into several pieces, with the last piece (possibly as late as March) being the lump-sum bonus that the contract provides in lieu of a 2005 discretionary raise.

After the new contract is signed, it will be posted on the Guild's Web site in place of the current contract. Watch this blog, the Web site and the newsletter for more details of how various contract provisions will be implemented.