New year, higher pay

Nearly everyone covered by the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild contract can count on higher wages in the year ahead. Here are the wage and differential increases that take effect Dec. 30:

Across-the-board raise: All employees who were on the payroll Oct. 1 or earlier will receive a 1.5% raise, unless they receive a larger raise because of rising minimum pay rates.

Higher minimums: The minimum pay rates rise by 2.5% in most job classifications and a bit more for a few positions. At the first step of the journalist classification, the minimum rises from $800 to $820 a week; for senior journalists, our highest-paid group, the minimum is up from $1,187 to $1,217 a week. For part-time editorial assistants, the first-step minimum rises from $12.54 to $12.86 an hour.

Higher differentials: Almost all shift differentials are rising. Night differential is up from 75 to 80 cents an hour, weekend differential is up from 80 to 85 cents an hour, production differential is up from 65 to 70 cents an hour, holiday differential is up from $7 to $8 a shift and callback pay (for sudden schedule changes) is up from $9 to $10. Only substitution pay (for filling in for managers or others outside the bargaining unit) remains unchanged, at $20 a shift.

But remember, this is the last year of the contract that guarantees those wage increases. In spring, negotiations start on a new contract, to take effect Jan. 1, 2009. It's always a battle to build on what we have in tough economic times. Support your bargaining committee.