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RECENT LOCAL NEWS Next-generation Guild taking shape A study led by Chris Benner of the UC Davis Center for Regional Change maps a new course for the Media Workers Guild, suggesting how we can become a driving force for innovation in journalism. "Unless you can deal with the underlying causes of the crisis in the industry and find new revenue sources, it doesn't matter how long you want to protest, you're just going to see a shrinking membership," Benner said in a UC Davis news release. Chronicle members seeing red on Coffee Day Bright attire signals support for Guild bargaining effort Red-adorned Guild members at the San Francisco Chronicle celebrated their solidarity Wednesday at Java Trading Co., giving a boost to contract talks. The Guild has been sponsoring coffeeshop get-togethers at Joe and Fi's coffeeshop every week to help keep spirits up and members informed. Now, members have taken to wearing red on Wednesdays -- adding more fuel to the caffeinated mix. BARGAINING BULLETIN Contract talks turn to revenue issues at Chronicle Ad management shows willingness to hear staff's ideas Chronicle negotiators returned to the bargaining table Wednesday. As hinted last week, it looks like we're there on at least one tentative agreement that would get Guild members five more sick days per year, restoring one of the cost-saving cuts we agreed to in 2009. And we made a new proposal to protect employees from being replaced by freelancers and contractors. In addition, Guild negotiators proposed a one-year rehire list in the event of a layoff -- which, by the way, doesn't appear on the horizon. Veteran Mercury News reporter Cathie Calvert dies at 74 Veteran San Jose Mercury News reporter Cathie Calvert died May 17. She was 74. Graduating with a journalism degree from San Jose State College, Calvert went to work as society editor for the nearby and now defunct Sunnyvale Daily Standard. She joined the then-afternoon Mercury News 13 years later, in 1970. BARGAINING BULLETIN Chronicle contract talks inch ahead Gap narrows on sick leave issue Guild negotiators and San Francisco Chronicle management made some progress Wednesday, the third bargaining session, toward a new labor agreement to replace the contract that is set to expire June 30. In response to a Guild proposal improving sick leave, company representatives offered to raise to 10 the number of sick days employees can earn each year and end the yearly usage cap. Employees now earn only five days and will only be able to use 10 days a year starting July 1. Guild leaders moved to lift this cap immediately. 1 col box UC Davis report maps a new course for Guild Business as usual? No thanks. A study led by Chris Benner of the UC Davis Center for Regional Change maps a new course for the Media Workers Guild and other news industry innovators. "As the representative of the most valuable asset newspapers have -- skilled workers -- and with important ties to community stakeholders who care deeply about the quality of local news, the Media Workers Guild brings a unique set of assets and perspectives that can be an important part of the future of journalism," Benner's report notes. Guild fashion design helped launch Bay Citizen Warren Hellman, the banjo-fancying philanthropist who bankrolls the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival every year in Golden Gate Park, celebrated Wednesday's long-awaited debut of the Bay Citizen with a little music. That was no surprise. But when Hellman took to the stage at Great American Music Hall and immediately started to strip off his clothes, a few of us in the crowd had to wonder where this was headed. BARGAINING BULLETIN Talks stay on a respectful tone at Chronicle Making some progress, Guild raises advertising issues Guild leaders entered into Round 2 of negotiations with San Francisco Chronicle management Thursday. Though the skies were stormy, the session was relatively smooth. Management provided the bulk of the information we requested at the initial meeting, May 11. The Bargaining Committee will analyze these figures for a concrete proposal on, among other things, vacation, health benefits and sick leave. Pension discussions are pending further information from the trustee board and management. STRATEGIC REVIEW Talk of merger could realign CWA in the West Guild locals in Hawaii and SF join in discussion A study of merger options has been endorsed by the Media Workers and other member locals of the Communications Workers of America. The Hawaii Newspaper Guild and CWA locals in the Bay Area have joined with the San Francisco-based Guild to take a broad look at realignments. Further discussions are planned in advance of the July TNG-CWA Sector Conference and CWA Convention in Washington, DC. BARGAINING UPDATE Tentative contract terms reached at Sacramento Bee Guild committee beat back worst of McClatchy demands Negotiators for The Bee and The Guild reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract Friday -- culminating months of talks over the labor agreement. A draft of the agreement will be available in a matter of days for the upcoming ratification vote. The date of the ratification vote by dues-paying members is yet to be scheduled. The agreement, while far from perfect, does include some union-sought protections for current employees. Given the state of the industry and the current economic climate, it's a contract The Guild's negotiating committee and leadership support. PRESS RELEASE Newsroom staffers announced at Bay Citizen SF nonprofit on verge of debut The Bay Citizen, a new non-profit news organization, has announced its staff reporter and online editor line-ups as it prepares for its May 26 launch. The Bay Citizen's reporting team will focus on regional enterprise news coverage on six core civic beats. PICKET LINE REPORT Posh East Bay country club scene turns ugly Members of Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton pay $25,000 to sign up -- more than the kitchen and laundry workers bring home in a year. But the union, Hotel Workers Local 2850, enjoyed a good relationship for decades, and the management showed respect for a loyal, experienced staff. Then a new management came in, tried to jack up health costs, and eventually locked out its workers when no agreement was reached. The dispute has gone more than two months, attracting widespread labor and community support, as was demonstrated recently by a spirited solidarity rally (photo). BARGAINING BULLETIN Chronicle contract talks begin amid hope of recovery Guild negotiators offer outline of proposals Guild leaders opened negotiations for a new contract with San Francisco Chronicle management Tuesday. The current agreement expires June 30. In introductory statements, the Guild negotiating team underscored the sacrifices Chronicle members made in 2009 and said that going forward, our focus is rebuilding The Chronicle and rewarding employees for our role in recovery. Valley chairs renew McClatchy Unity Council Unit chairs representing the McClatchy Co.'s Bee newspapers met in Modesto over the weekend to launch a unity campaign. Ed Fletcher of Sacramento, Marijke Rowland of Modesto and Bethany Clough of Fresno (left to right in photo) agreed to a program centered on mobilizing members, improving communication and coordinating bargaining. "The more we coordinate the better," Rowland said. "The three Bees are intricately linked -- what happens at one affects the others. So the more we talk the stronger we become." PICNIC POTLUCK
Chronicle management and Guild co-sponsor 2010 picnic June 5 at Lake Temescal Current and former San Francisco Chronicle Unit members, management and their families are invited to the 2010 Chronicle-Guild picnic in Oakland. Co-sponsored by the Media Workers and Chronicle management, this year's picnic continues a tradition begun last year when, despite the lingering bitterness of the 2009 bargaining, we set aside our difference and pooled resources on the common ground of a sunny picnic site. Media Workers Guild endorses SF's Proposition E June ballot measure requires city to disclose cost of security A ballot measure to require San Francisco City Hall to make public the amount of money it intends to spend on security for city officials and visiting dignitaries has received a unanimous endorsement from the Executive Committee of the California Media Workers Guild. The measure will appear as Proposition E on the June 8 ballot. MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Bethany Clough takes helm after Nax departs Bethany Clough has been named interim chair of the Fresno Bee unit, replacing Sandy Nax, who left the paper last month after 22 years. Clough is a business reporter who started at the Bee eight years ago in the South Valley office in Visalia. SPRING TRAINING REPORT Fainaru tosses first pitch at Guild event About 120 talk jobs and technology at City College About 120 participants gathered Saturday at City College of San Francisco for the first "Spring Training for Journalists," a daylong workshop we hope will become an annual tradition for news staffers, freelancers and students throughout our region.Fainaru, shown here with the early-bird crowd, told why he gave up his Washington Post gig to become managing editor of Bay Citizen, the Guild-backed news venture. The Bay Citizen plans its own "Opening Day" -- including a launch party at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco-- on May 26. Check out our complete Spring Training Report.
Alicia Parlette, who wrote of her cancer, dies Alicia Parlette, who turned her incurable cancer diagnosis at age 23 into a Chronicle series about her experience, died just before noon Thursday at UCSF Medical Center. She was 28.
Late cop reporter exposed newsroom double standard A Malcolm Glover story that didn't make the paper Malcolm Glover, the legendary San Francisco police reporter who died March 1 at age 83, was considered the newsroom's last link to corporate founder William Randolph Hearst. The Chief hired Glover as a youth. But Glover also made some corporate history of his own during his long career with the Hearst-owned San Francisco Examiner: His career was nearly snuffed out prematurely in an ethics spat, until a Guild grievance forced his reinstatement.
Mary Fricker honored for career of tough reporting An advocate for public accountability When retired journalist and Guild member Mary Fricker received a career-achievement award from SPJ the other day, she got two standing ovations. And no wonder: Fricker's diligent digging through public records marked a long, distinguished career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and then the Chauncey Bailey Project. Chronicle taps Bloomberg for extra business news The San Francisco Chronicle announced today that it is teaming up with Bloomberg News to offer an expanded daily business section. The collaboration will feature new and enhanced coverage produced by the staffs of The Chronicle and Bloomberg. The new section begins on Sunday. Health reform is a big freelancing deal Subsidies and access to insurance exchanges bring relief Uninsured freelancers enjoyed at least one health benefit these past months: immunity from the Fox News-GOP propaganda machine. They viewed passage of the health care bill calmly, hoping it would deliver some long-needed relief from a market stacked against the self-employed. The bill promises to deliver a hearty infusion of affordability and access. THE NEWS PROJECT
Hellman-UC nonprofit renames itself The Bay Citizen Weber says citizen is hardly strictly about legal status The collaborative nonprofit formerly known as the Bay Area News Project renamed itself "The Bay Citizen" Wednesday, and also hired former Mercury News sportswriter Steve Fainaru as managing editor. In a debut blog post, Editor in Chief Jonathan Weber said the new name "neatly encapsulates our mission," while calling Fainaru, a Pulitzer winner at the Washington Post, one of the country's pre-eminent journalists.
Scovill, a Lao interpreter, joins CFI staff in Fresno Aranguren departs; new title for Hall Fresno-based shop steward Brandon Scovill, a Lao interpreter, joins the Media Workers staff as a field representative. Field rep Mary Lou Aranguren has announced her resignation. Silvia Barden remains as lead Southern California field rep, while Bruce Meachum, formerly of TNG-CWA, will assist on a temporary basis. PRESS RELEASE SPJ to host local news forum March 25 in San Francisco Chronicle president on panel Community members will have a chance to discuss their views about the local news with a dozen leading figures in journalism, education, business and politics at a town hall meeting produced by the Society of Professional Journalists on Thursday, March 25. The leading figures will include the president of the Chronicle, the CEO of the Bay Area News Project, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the mayor of Oakland. BARGAINING BULLETIN Bay City members ratify 3-year contract extension Pay raises of 2 percent in 2011 and 3 percent in 2012 Members of the Bay City News Unit voted Monday night to ratify a three-year contract extension. The agreement provides for pay increases of 2 percent in 2011 and 3 percent in 2012, but no increase for the remainder of this year for current employees. Pay minimums for new hires will rise 3.25 percent in each of the three years, however. The company also agreed for the first time to match employee contributions into their 401(k) plan. OBITUARY
Malcolm Glover, 'the original cop reporter,' dead at 83 Malcolm Glover was minted in the days when newsmen eagerly and ceaselessly hoofed the pavement for bloody scoops and loved the lore of all things newspaper. He started in the business at 16 in the old-fashioned way -- on a whim -- and up until his death March 1 at 83 from congestive heart failure, that love of newspapering still filled him. BARGAINING BULLETIN Three-year tentative agreement at Bay City News Raises in second and third years, and a 401(k) match Bargainers for the Guild reached tentative agreement Thursday night for a new three-year contract with Bay City News Service in San Francisco. If approved by the members, the agreement will extend nearly all current provisions of the Bay City contract with no concessions. Pay for most workers will be frozen in 2010, but employees would get raises of 2 percent in 2011 and 3 percent in 2012. At the same time, the contractual pay minimums for all experience levels will increase 3.25 percent in each of the three years. BANG-EAST BAY BULLETIN Six-month term limit, plus one extension, for interns Video training moves ahead for East Bay and Merc Our Guild representatives met with the management to work out the last few details of a proposed agreement for internships, including limits for how many interns and how long they can be employed here. The agreement calls for up to 12 spread around our many work sites, for as long as 6 months. Vacations and a multi-media training initiative also were raised. THE NEWS PROJECT Editor outlines an ambitious agenda for nonprofit Big plans despite only 15 jobs, eight reporters to start Jonathan Weber, editor in chief of the Bay Area News Project, gave the first detailed outline Wednesday of a startup plan he hopes will redefine the modern big-city newsroom. He spoke amid the flags and gravitas of the World Affairs Council in downtown San Francisco during a forum organized by the Media Workers Guild. He brought a message journalists don't hear often anymore: He's hiring. THE NEWS PROJECT Cal journalism students meet the news bosses During a joint appearance at the UC Berkeley journalism school on Jan. 26, Bay Area News Project CEO Lisa Frazier and Editor Jonathan Weber said they anticipate hiring 15 journalists by late spring. Earlier comments had those jobs being filled more slowly, perhaps by year's end. Also, both Weber and Frazier said they foresee collaborations with KQED, despite recent news that organization's official involvement had ended.
Debate on ways to end exploitation of journalists stirred by Newsosaur blog Alan Mutter's Reflections of A Newsosaur blog unleashed quite a response -- the biggest he's had -- when he called for an end to the exploitation of journalists the other day. Guild organizers welcomed the fresh reinforcements in a battle we've been waging for years. Here are comments from Freelance Unit Chair Rebecca Rosen Lum and Local Representative Carl T. Hall. BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE News of the MediaNews bankruptcy The MediaNews bankruptcy marches ahead. So far, proceedings in Delaware bankruptcy court seem to agree with the idea that Chapter 11 proceedings will be limited to MNG's holding company, Affiliated Media Inc., and will not affect employees or union contracts. David R. Hock of Cohen, Weiss and Simon represented The Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America locals at the first day hearing on Jan. 26. It appears the pre-packaged bankruptcy will come to a swift conclusion, heading for confirmation without objection on March 4.
THE NEWS PROJECT New editor says hiring at nonprofit agency starts now Weber invites resumes -- nothing is 'precooked' After months of largely theoretical existence, the nonprofit Bay Area News Project leapt toward reality today by announcing the hiring of its top leaders: CEO Lisa Frazier and Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Weber. Following the exit of founder partner KQED from the project, the group also said it will supply stories to the new Bay Area sections of the New York Times. THE NEWS PROJECT Frazier and Weber confirmed for top BANP management The Bay Area News Project has just confirmed that it is naming McKinsey partner (and BANP research lead) Lisa Frazier as CEO and former Industry Standard co-founder and editor-in-chief and founder of New West Publishing Jonathan Weber as editor-in-chief. A press release also says the $5 million, Warren Hellman-funded, non-profit news organization will supply content for the Bay Area section of the New York Times. PRESS RELEASE
CEO and top editor named for S.F. news launch Nonprofit to supply Bay Area news for NY Times The Bay Area News Project, a new nonprofit public media organization based in San Francisco, announced today the names of its two senior leaders, Chief Executive Officer Lisa Frazier and Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Weber. In conjunction with The New York Times, the media non-profit also announced it will supply news for the Bay Area sections of The Times. BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE MediaNews bankruptcy filing stirs union legal action Guild will fight to protect contracts MediaNews Group's planned bankruptcy filing raised alarms throughout the company, and Guild members have wasted no time getting our legal department on the case. Our East Bay leaders were part of a national MNG Guild gathering in San Francisco, where an announcement was issued the day after the long-rumoured debt plan was unveiled. THE NEWS PROJECT
Hellman project said to be hiring 12-15 by summer Reports say Frazier to be CEO, Weber editor The online news site paidContent reported Monday that New West Publisher Jonathan Weber, a Los Angeles Times alum and founder of the dot-com mag The Industry Standard, will head editorial operations of the nonprofit Bay Area News Project. Lisa Frazier, a consultant who headed the Warren Hellman-backed startup effort, will stay as permanent CEO, according to the report. Guild to seek voice in MediaNews debt plan National coalition retains legal counsel A national coalition of Guild units representing MediaNews workers in California, Minnesota, Colorado and Michigan gathered Saturday in San Francisco issued a statement about the MediaNews Group's announced debt reorganization and planned bankruptcy filing. The Guild said legal counsel is working to ensure employees are represented in the process, adding that the union intends a constructive approach. FUTURE OF JOURNALISM News Project on track, posts for new tech job KQED won't be 'founding partner,' says UC dean Neil Henry of UC Berkeley confirmed that the News Project has "secured an outstanding CEO and an extraordinary editor in chief whose names will be announced later this month," and added that "KQED will not play a role as a founding partner, but we look forward to its active participation." A report on MediaBistro discusses a new job posting and says the project is "moving forward." JOE THE BARBER
Joseph Ortiz turned many heads at Chronicle From Fairmont to Fifth and Mission, class all the way Joseph Ortiz, also known as Joe the Barber, has died. An obituary is in works. Mr. Ortiz was a skilled craftsman and friend to scores of San Francisco journalists. He was proud of his membership in the barbers' union and his long service at Fifth and Mission. BANG-EB: THE GUILD UPDATE Good time to copy edit those paychecks Happy new year from the Guild! Of course, we start 2010 with a step back -- another pay reduction that's part of the company's cost-cutting plan from last year. Though this cut will be smaller from the last, we understand it will still significantly impact you and your families. We share your disappointment in this, and we're committed to working with management on ways to improve the company's outlook. MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Chronicle members coping as trauma carries into new year Unemployment seminar, post-holiday bash, bi-weekly payrolls Hope you've been busy making merry the past few days... We have more Plan B workshops Tuesday on finances and unemployment benefits. These workshops are open to everyone: Guild, non-Guild, current and former employees. And don't forget the party Saturday night... Hearst Newspapers president: 'Our efforts at transformation have just begun' Hearst Newspapers president Steve Swartz's year-end message to employees cited "an exciting new level of cooperation" among media companies, and described how initiatives to set payment and technology standards "promise to put Hearst at the center of our industry's digital transformation." SINGLETON MESSAGES STAFF
MediaNews nearing debt deal with banks Singleton asks patience of employees MediaNews CEO Dean Singleton and President Jody Lodovic said Thursday that the company is close to an agreement with its banks on a debt restructuring plan. Once the plan is completed toward the end of the first quarter of 2010, they added, the company expects to have a "manageable level of debt" and will look forward to "a changing but exciting future." BARGAINING UPDATE Furlough plan approved by membership in Monterey Advertising revenue continues to sink at Herald Monterey Herald Guild members voted December 17 for an unpaid furlough option the management offered as a way to avert layoffs at least through March 31, 2010. THE NEWS PROJECT Top management to be named soon for Bay Area startup Participants in the founding of the Bay Area News Project outlined some of their goals in a status report published by the American Journalism Review. For the Guild, it's all about quality jobs. One union representative said the effort is intended "to invent a new structure and a new model to set the foundation for what we really want to do, which is journalism." |
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