More contract discussions set

The Milwaukee Newspaper Guild has scheduled two more meetings for members to discuss the tentative agreement reached on our next contract with Journal Sentinel Inc.

Those sessions have been set from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, and again from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. the same day. Both will be in the Journal Sentinel's Abert Room, and members can bring their lunch or dinner.

International Representative Darren Carroll, who helped negotiate the deal, will join us for the noon session, and members of our bargaining committee will be available at both sessions to answer any questions Guild members may have about the tentative agreement.

No date has been set yet for a ratification vote. Watch for more information soon.

Among related matters:

• In addition to the key provisions outlined in a previous post, the tentative agreement means that the company will not be allowed to compensate interns in academic credit alone, nor can it require departing employees to pay back the company for taking more vacation than they had earned. The deal also maintains the “evergreen clause” that keeps an old contract in force while a new one is being negotiated.
  
• The Guild and Journal Sentinel Inc. have agreed to settle our grievance over the company’s suspension of the tuition reimbursement program. The settlement provides a cash payout to any newsroom staffer who was turned down for tuition reimbursement, starting last fall.
• We are now up to 14 settlements on grievances stemming from last year's layoffs, leaving five individuals’ cases unresolved. While further settlements remain possible, arbitration hearings have been set on the remaining cases, starting later this month.