Pressroom Flyer

What’s the Union’s Record in California?

The Union is telling you that you need and will be better off with a Union. But before you make your decision, you should know the Union’s record in representing pressroom employees at other California newspapers.

San Diego Union-Tribune

After the pressroom contract expired on October 11, 1992, the parties negotiated for nearly ten years before reaching a new labor agreement effective August 1, 2002. During that ten year period pressroom employees received no salary increases and paid for increased health care premiums.

The contract provided for no general wage increases. Instead, it established a merit raise pool, which the Union strongly opposed. Over the term of the contract workers were evaluated by management, which decided who got raises and in what amounts. The first raises were effective August 1, 2002, thereafter on anniversary date(s). That contract expired in 2005 and no new contract has been negotiated.

The Fresno Bee

In 1998 GCIU Local 404, which has previously sought to represent our employees, won an election at The Fresno Bee. It was never able to negotiate a contract and some pressroom employees went more than three years without a pay increase before the Union gave up and walked away.

San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle recently reached an agreement with the last of its unions, the union representing pressroom employees. Despite this new agreement, the Chronicle has also announced that it will close its production facilities and permanently outsource printing during the next two to three years, which will result in the layoff of its pressroom employees.

Torrance Daily Breeze

The Torrance Daily Breeze outsourced its union-represented pressroom operations to a non-union commercial printer. (A number of years ago the Long Beach Press-Telegram also shut down its union-represented pressroom and is now printed by the Daily News.)

Conclusion

Clearly we are not saying that what happened at any of these other newspapers would automatically happen here if the union was voted in – and if the Union was voted in The Times would bargain in good faith. But all of these things did happen at California newspapers where pressroom employees are (or were) represented by the Union.

WHY GAMBLE? – VOTE “NO”