Held, Schumacher named steward leaders

Tom Held and Mary Louise Schumacher are the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild's newest steward leaders.

Our local's Executive Board named Held, a Journal Sentinel metro reporter, and Schumacher, the newspaper's art and architecture critic, to the posts for terms that started in October. Both had been stewards.

Held now oversees contract enforcement, membership, mobilizing and stewards for the downtown metro desk, Wisconsin news bureaus and JSOnline. He replaces metro reporter Mark Johnson, who did not seek reappointment as a steward leader but remains a board member.

Schumacher's jurisdiction includes the features/entertainment, business news, photo and opinions staffs. She replaces editorial assistant Janine Ghelfi, who left in the buyout after a record 12.5 years as a steward leader.

They join copy editor Russ Maki, who was named to a second term as steward leader for the copy, design, graphics and national desks and the sports staff. Under a bylaws amendment approved by the membership in September, the number of steward leaders was reduced from four to a maximum of three, to reflect the downsized staff. The fourth position had been held by sports copy editor Vince Butler, who departed in the downsizing, and most of his former jurisidiction was combined with Maki's.

Also during its October and November meetings, the board appointed page designer Zeina Makky as communications chair, replacing sports designer Ana Menendez, who left in the downsizing; business writer Joel Dresang, a board member, as health and safety chair, replacing metro reporter Susanne Rust, who took the buyout; deputy business editor Bob Helbig, a former local president, as wage data coordinator, replacing Maki, who did not seek reappointment; assistant features/entertainment editor Stan Miller, as tech coordinator, replacing photo tech Dave Kirner, another former local president, who left the paper.

The board also reappointed metro reporter Erin Richards, the local's secretary, as human rights chair; feature writer Jan Uebelherr, a board member, as social chair; copy editor Jen Steele as newsletter editor, online producer Craig Nickels as Webmaster and metro reporter Larry Sandler as posting and exclusions coordinator.

All of those appointed will serve one-year terms, ending next October. The steward leaders are working with the top officers to appoint stewards.

Local 51 President Greg Pearson, a copy editor, was named to replace Kirner on our bargaining committee. Unlike the other positions, bargaining committee members do not serve a fixed term and remain in office until the contract is settled.