Union Movement at the Los Angeles Times

Yesterday I found many union authorization cards at different locations, like the men's locker room, Cafe Oly, and on the press consoles.

I had no clue the union movement had advanced to this point at the newspaper, since I'm no longer involved. There was rumors of union meetings, and I heard there were many in attendance at the Monday meeting. The other rumor was three people attended the meeting, who shall I believe?

Most people in Los Angeles take it for granted that the Los Angeles Times was a union newspaper, we have not been represented by a union since 1968. The union was broken by giving all departments at the Los Angeles Times larger raises than the union contract for the pressmen.

We have been through many union campaigns the past twenty years, with the union being defeated at the ballot box every time.

I do admire the men and women that speak out for union representation, but there will be a price to pay for speaking out. You will be singled out and treated differently than your co-workers in many ways, I know this from my experiences at the newspaper.

The union movement may be a bit premature, with the possible control of the Los Angeles Times returning to the Chandler Family, in the coming months.

The next few months will be interesting for Times employees.

Eddie