Saturday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

I’ll title this photo “Can’t we all get along?” as I’m surrounded by my anti-union colleagues. From the left Lee Carey, Kory Longnecker, Edward, and Tim May. Two weeks ago tonight we worked over six hours with no breaks or lunch, so our asses were dragging in this photograph that was taken by Rick Hernandez.


The Death of Print - Get Satisfaction

Newspaper Plant Closures - News & Tech

Fairfax job cuts part of paper 'death throes' - ABC News

Remain TEAMSTERS or De-Certify our Union? - Ronnie Pineda

Community Impact Newspaper Launches 11th Paper in Texas - E&P

Some guidelines on how to be a true Angeleno - Los Angeles Times

A Paid Content Model That Makes Sense - Newspaper Death Watch

Former Tribune directors and officers to file claims - Washington Post

Tribune Company‘s Bankruptcy Fees Top $150 Mil - Matthew Fleischer

Recovery of Money/Property - 548 Fraudulent Transfer - Burbage Weddell

Union Busting in the U.S. throughout the 20th Century

Desertification of the Union at Los Angeles Times

From: Adam N. Stern, Esq.

To all Los Angeles Times Employees represented by GCIU Local 140-N

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

I have had the honor of representing GCIU 140-N since shortly after you organized a union and secured your first contract.

Since that time, I’ve had a front-row seat to the actions and attitudes of your employer. In the more than twenty years that I have represented local unions, I have never dealt with a more mean-spirited anti-union employer. In my view, employees need a union to counterbalance the legal and economic power of employers and never more than at the Los Angeles Times.

After some employees files a petition with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to decertify the Union as the exclusive bargaining representative, the Union asked me to set out the legal ramifications associated with decertifying your Union.

First, if the Union is decertified, the Collective Bargaining Agreement will immediately become null and void and the Employer will have no legal obligation to follow any portion of the contract in the future. Should the employees vote to decertify the Union, the Employer will be free to maintain any term and condition of employment that it chooses, as long as it does not violate some law like minimum wage, maximum work hour rules, and the like. Nothing in the law would prevent the Employer from converting full-time employees into part-time employees, eliminating health insurance, establishing any shift it cares to, adopting any and all work rules and disciplining and/or terminating employees without cause. In this regard, under California law, all employees employed in the state of California are presumed to be at-will employees. At-will employees can be terminated at any time for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all. Hence, the Employer, for example, could decide to terminate all employees who are late to work, even by so much as one second. Unless the Employer somehow managed to violate some law in so doing, the employees would be absolutely powerless to contest such strict rules.

The concept of job seniority does not exist in either California or federal law. Rather, seniority is a concept, which is created in a contract or adopted by an employer because it wishes to do so. No rule of law requires your employer to follow any idea of seniority with respect to any term or condition of employment. Therefore, should the employees decertify, the senority protections in your Collective Bargaining Agreement would evaporate. The Employer would be free to lay off anybody it wishes regardless of the amount of time such as employee worked for the Employer. The assignment of shifts, selection of vacation time, and days off would not be controlled by any idea of seniority, but rather the Employer could simply do whatever it pleases.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement also contains a grievance and arbitration procedure, which enables any represented employee to file a grievance when he or she believes the Employer, has violated some provision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Should the Union be decertified, the grievance and arbitration procedures in the Collective Bargaining Agreement would disappear along with the rest of the contract. Thereafter, if an employee believed that the Employer was mistreating an employee, violating its own rules or virtually any other complaint and employee may have, it could not be grieved, and the Employer would never be obligated to arbitrate any dispute. Instead, the employee would have to find an attorney, who in turn would have to find some law that the Employer violated, and file a lawsuit. Normally, the losing party to a lawsuit is required to pay costs associated with that lawsuit (usually excluding attorney fees) to the party that wins. Most employees whose rights are violated never sue their Employer, because there are typically very short time limits involved, they cannot afford to hire an attorney, they are unaware of their rights, or they believe that their employer with its team of attorneys will drag out the case, increase the cost, and endlessly delay any hope the employee has of finding justice. For these reasons, historically, individual employees attempting to bring some sort of change to their workplace rarely succeed in doing so by filing a lawsuit.

I hope that you will consider the facts of union representation for yourself and make your decision on how to vote in any upcoming election based upon your needs and that of your family. The Employer can promise you the moon, but if they are unwilling to put any promises in writing and sign them, no such promise would ever be enforceable. Rather, you would just have to trust them.

Very truly yours,
Adam N. Stern, Esq.

June 8 and 9 Election at the Los Angeles Times

From Ronnie Pineda:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The NLRB will be holding an election for us to decide whether to remain TEAMSTERS or De-Certify our Union. The Union informed the NLRB through our Attorney Adam Stern that we agreed to hold the election on May 27, 2011 but The Company, Lee and his FREE Attorneys from the National Right To Work Foundation argued that it was not a good day because of the holiday and that there would be employees on vacation.

Well there are going to be people on vacation the days they suggested as well but the NLRB decided because of the holiday it would not hold the election on the 27th.
We, as a result of the Boards position agreed to hold the election on the earliest of the available dates of June 8 and June 9 with the polls open during 7:00 am to 8:00 am and again at 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm on both days.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU COME AND VOTE!

This election will be based only on the votes cast and not strictly percentages. In other words, only the ballots cast will determine whether the Union remains or not so it is critical that ALL MEMBERS VOTE YES TO KEEP OUR UNION.

We cannot afford to assume that there will be enough votes to win and that your vote won't matter, WRONG! Every vote counts and we must show not only those that signed the petition to hold this election but the company as well, that we are not only building on our contract but also in our numbers!

MARK YOUR CALENDERS! SET A REMINDER IN YOUR PHONE! PUT IT UP ON YOUR REFRIGERATOR!

Do whatever it takes to be in the shop to vote on either day, but don't wait until the 9th if you can cast your ballot on the 8th.

The negotiations are going amazingly different this time around and I think we need to continue to stand together if we are to survive and see what is accomplished in contract negotiations.


In Solidarity!
Ronnie Pineda
President,
GCC/IBT Local 140-N
www.saveourtrade.blogspot.com

L.A. Times publisher Eddy Hartenstein named CEO of Tribune Co.

By Jerry Hirsch, Times Staff Writer

May 6, 2011, 8:55 a.m.
Los Angeles Times publisher Eddy Hartenstein was named chief executive of Tribune Co., which owns The Times, the Chicago Tribune, KTLA-TV Channel 5 and other media properties.

Hartenstein will remain publisher of Los Angeles Times Media Group, but has appointed former Times executive Kathy Thomson president and chief operating officer.

The change in the management structure at Tribune did not signal a geographic shift for the company, Hartenstein said. Tribune will remain headquartered in Chicago, and Hartenstein said he "will be racking up a lot of frequent-flier miles."

Hartenstein's chief challenge will be to keep the company running as it struggles to exit bankruptcy protection after several years of stop-and-start negotiations with creditors and bankruptcy court hearings.

"The board feels strongly that it is in Tribune's best interest to have one person providing strategic vision and day-to-day direction for the company and its employees as we prepare to emerge from the Chapter 11 process," said Sam Zell, Tribune's chairman.

Zell credited Hartenstein with understanding the challenges new technology presents the media industry. Hartenstein's appointment comes after a roughly six-month period during which Tribune was managed by a four-member executive council following the resignation of former Chief Executive Randy Michaels after complaints about behavior deemed improper by the board of directors.

Originally, Michaels was replaced by a four-member executive council that consisted of Hartenstein; Tony Hunter, president, publisher and CEO of Chicago Tribune Co.; Nils Larsen, Tribune Co. chief investment officer; and Don Liebentritt, who was in charge of the company's Chapter 11 restructuring.

That council is being dissolved, but each of the executives will remain in senior management positions with Tribune.

Hartenstein, a Los Angeles native, noted that he has deep personal and professional ties to Southern California, and Tribune's board believed it made sense to keep him as publisher of The Times because it is the company's largest business.

Tribune sought bankruptcy protection in December 2008 after a leveraged buyout by Zell that a year earlier saddled it with more than $12 billion in debt. In addition to The Times, Tribune owns the Chicago Tribune, other newspapers and 23 broadcast stations.

Creditors have been fighting over how to divvy up the equity in the business for years. Aurelius Capital Management, the largest junior creditor in the bankruptcy case, has locked horns with the senior group -- which includes lender JPMorgan Chase & Co. and investment funds Oaktree Capital Management and Angelo, Gordon & Co. -- over what a reorganization plan would look like.

In March, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey adjourned 10 days of hearings in the case with the warning that he saw problems with both the Aurelius plan and a competing plan filed by Tribune and its senior creditors that might make it impossible to approve either of them.

The next bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for June 14.

Hartenstein said his job will be to focus on the company's operations regardless of how long the bankruptcy continues.

"The bankruptcy process is between two sets of creditors with some large issues and some large numbers between them," he said.

"But if we improve the business and the enterprise we are doing, everything will work out," Hartenstein said.

He said he doesn't consider the appointment a "caretaker" position until a new board is established when Tribune does emerge from bankruptcy.

"I don't do anything on an interim basis. I am pretty much full-throttle," Hartenstein said.

Hartenstein, 60, became publisher of The Times in August 2008 after a lengthy career at Hughes Electronics Corp., the defense contractor and satellite maker later acquired by General Motors Corp.

At Hughes, he pushed the idea of using satellite technology to beam television programming directly into the homes of consumers. His concept would become DirecTV Group Inc., the satellite television business. Hartenstein was its president and then CEO, from its inception in 1994 until 2004.

He remains connected to the satellite-based entertainment business, serving as the non-executive chairman of Sirius XM Radio Inc. He is also on the board of Broadcom Corp., SanDisk Corp. and the City of Hope hospital in Duarte.

Thomson is returning to The Times after serving for the last 18 months as a vice president of FLO TV Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc. Previously she was chief of staff at The Times from September 2008 to 2009. She spent 15 years in a variety of positions at DirecTV, culminating in the role of senior vice president, sales and marketing operations.

"She brings a modern approach and extensive knowledge of other relevant digital industries that will also be key factors in ensuring our future success," Hartenstein said.




L.A. Times publisher Eddy Hartenstein named CEO of Tribune Co.

THE DAILY MOTIVATOR

Series of miracles
+++++++++++++++++++

Today is nothing less than a miracle. Your life is even more of a miracle.

Feeling the warm sun on your face seems like such a simple thing. And yet that simple little experience is made possible by unimaginably complex and profound factors, all coming together in a single moment.

And then, when one amazing moment is finished, another has just begun. Even the most seemingly ordinary life is a series of magnificent miracles, each one following quickly after the one before.

It is all too easy to take it all for granted. And just the fact that you can take it for granted is itself an amazing thing.

You can never fully appreciate all that goes into the wonder in which you're immersed. And because of that, there is no limit to how much you can treasure it all.

Even when you are continually thankful, there is always more for which to be thankful. Even when you know you have it good, you don't ever fully know how good you have it.

Celebrate the miracles that come in every moment within the overall miracle that is your life. And as each moment falls away, there is another one for you to celebrate.

Ralph Marston

Ronnie Pineda Hospitalized

Ronnie Pineda on the left with Jess De Geytere


Union President of GCC-IBT Local 140-N Ronnie Pineda suffered an apparent heart attack last night, and is resting in the hospital with his wife Diane at his side.

Unable to reach his family at this time for further details, but will let you know as soon as possible regarding Ronnie’s condition.



Send a prayer or two for Ronnie’s speedy recovery.

Should Employees trust in the Tribune Company?

From: Louis Nicosia
Secretary-Treasurer
GCC-IBT Local 406

To Our Brothers and Sisters at the L.A. Times,

People do not realize the importance of belonging to a union especially in today’s economic and social climate. Think about the early part of the 20th century before there were unions. People worked ten or twelve hour workdays, sweatshops, child labor, no health insurance, no pensions or workmen’s compensation. Unions fought hard for these things and more importantly a decent wage. In essence, unions created the middle class. We now take all these things for granted. What came from that was companies were almost forced to give the same benefits to non-union people and/or to keep people from joining the unions. Somewhere along the line people forgot how they got these benefits and believe that companies don’t mind paying these benefits. That’s kind of naïve, don’t you think?

We are all aware of the nature of our business. Like many locals across the country, we went through a negotiation that was concessionary. They came to the negotiating table seeking 10% and 15% pay cuts, changes in our seniority, weeks of vacation time, increases in health insurance, and other items that had to do with working conditions. We stood together. We also used Teamster resources that included George Tedeschi and economist Jim Kimball. The Company did not get what they wanted. We know without a collective bargaining agreement in place they could have just implemented their proposals. We did lose 5% of our pay and our drivers lost 10%. Although everyone here was unhappy, I can tell you not one person that I know would put their trust in the Company rather than the union. The company I work for is Cablevision and they make hundreds of millions of dollars a year in profit, and they still wanted more. To put trust in the Tribune Company while they are in bankruptcy would be insane. They will gut you within months, and find another way to dole out those bonuses to the people in their club. I remember better days. Times Mirror was my best employer too, but those days are never coming back.

I urge you as one working man to another stay together and weather the bad times. You have a voice in your workplace that will be gone. To break and run now because change isn’t happening fast enough would be a mistake. I think of the old story; one stick in your hand could be broken easily but a dozen can’t. There really is strength in unity.

Yours in Solidarity,
Lou Nicosia

Do not Feed the Kittens, Dogs, or Pigeons

Just when I thought we reached the bottom at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Production Facility, our Tribune Boss’ dig a little deeper and drop moral down a bit further. Last Friday our humanitarians at the plant, Rosanna Noon and Craig Jeskey were informed that they would no longer be allowed to feed the cats that call our parking lot their home.

Management claims the cat food attracts pigeons, which have invaded the interior of the plant. Traps were set out several months ago with over thirty birds captured and set free fifty miles from the plant. Unfortunately they seem to be homing pigeons as they have returned in mass.

The photograph was borrowed from the Newspaper Kittens page on Facebook, this is a group of Times employees that care for and adopt stray cats from around Times Mirror Square. When I mentioned what’s happening at the Olympic Facility they questioned if this really could be true? Yes it's the truth!

So remember not to feed the animals that inhabit the interior or exterior of the Olympic Facility, naturally with the threat of termination hanging over your head if you do insist on helping the hungry animals.

Los Angeles Times Pressmen Lunch

After working together for three to four decades producing the Los Angeles Times it’s rather difficult not to form life long bonds with your colleagues. Three days ago the pressmen gathered at Carroll’s Restaurant to reminisce about the good old days at the newspaper.

Services for Gary Cook

Gary Cook OC Platemaking retiree

Lutheran Church of the Cross
24231 El Toro road
Laguna Woods, Ca 92637
Saturday Aprill 30 at 11am

Information and photo provided by Chris Sileski

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Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

The annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be held:
Saturday April 30, 2011 from 10am – 6pm
Sunday, May 1, 2011 from 10am – 5pm at:
University of Southern California
Click here for map.
To locate USC on Yahoo! Maps or similar mapping software, you may use the intersection of Exposition Blvd and S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90089.

R.I.P. Gary Cook

Former Los Angeles Times Plate maker Gary Cook has passed away.

Mr. Cook’s funeral services will be held this Saturday in Lake Forest, California.

If you have any further information please forward.

Good Lesson For ALL

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... she fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now 'supposed' stress that you've conquered!"

1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them..

3 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker..

4 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague

5 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

6 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

7 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

8 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

9 * You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

10 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.



.

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

Pressman Steve Parker examining the hollywood money

being printed at the Times Olympic Facility

Photo credit: Cesar Calderon

• At Tribune, Battle Expands - Wall Street Journal


• Newspaper circulation to be published Tuesday - Poynter


• The Incredible Shrinking New York Times - Business Insider


• Is Digital Media Worse for the Environment Than Print? - PBS


• McClatchy Reports First Quarter 2011 Loss - Yahoo Finance


• Baltimore Sun named newspaper of the year - Baltimore Sun


• Class certification granted in tribune company ESOP case - Lexology


• Facebook adds another nail to the Newspaper Coffin - ReadWriteWeb


• Sun-Star to move printing operations to Fresno Bee - Merced Sun-Star


• Journalists and Social Media: How Far is Too Far? - Newspaper Death Watch

Crime Increasing at the Los Angeles Times

I took it for granted the thieves that had been breaking into our lockers no longer worked at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Facility, wrong. Last Saturday between 7:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. someone broke into pressroom supervisor John Hunter’s locker, located on the first floor, removing his work hats.

Pressroom personnel are not permitted to return to their lockers until the end of their shifts, something the thief knows also, or take the chance of being suspended or as one unfortunate discovered, terminated.


This latest crime pales in comparison to what occurred at the end of last year at the Olympic Facility. Seems two of our outside contractors, hired as custodians, helped themselves to all the metal they could fit in their cars, for many months.

What they would do was slip the metal pipes into a cardboard looking eight foot long tube, which was placed into a mop pail and pushed to the third floor where the metal was cut into pieces that would fit into their cars for recycling.

No one seems to know the exact loss in dollars, but I’m told the scam ran for months if not over a year.

My suggestion to my colleagues working at the Olympic Facility, leave everything of value at home and keep your wallets in your pocket.

Tim Hetherington At Waffle House: A Fond Remembrance

"Our deluxe Hollywood dinner took place at Waffle House somewhere near the Nashville..."
Read the rest at The Kitchen Dispatch

Burn Victims Need Your Help!

If you or someone you know knows anyone in the Lakers organization front office, please forward this story to them. On April 4, 2011, a family in Ontario lost their home. Mother, father, and ten children were in the home when it went up in flames. Neighbors, and officers worked together to get the trapped family members out of the home. They were jumping out of windows and were being caught by neighbors and officers down below. The fire department quickly got on the roof while the fire was still blazing and put it out.

They didn't have much prior to the fire and now have really lost everythingl. As of today, 4/7, everyone in the family is still in the hospital recovering from different levels of exposure to the fire, except one small child that was released yesterday. They are all separated and scattered throughout four different local hospitals. The children range in age from 2-16. A ten year old boy was airlifted after receiving 30-40% burns to his entire body.

In speaking with the family I learned the older boys love the Lakers and I think it would be nice to get the entire family to a Laker game. The Ontario Police Officer's Association and the Ontario Fire Department are organizing a fund raiser for the family on April 23rd, 2011 at noon in front of the families burnt home, 1476 E. Fairfield Dr., Ontario, at noon. The street will be blocked off and neighbors, family members, and the entire community is welcome.

We will be BBQing hot dogs and hamburgers and it will be on a donation basis. Area schools and churches are already fund raising. Bon View Elementary school has started a fund raiser where the classroom who raises the most money will get a pizza party courtesy of the Ontario Police Officer's Association. I want to thank Farmer Boys for donating the food, as well as Best Buy for donating a gaming system to the boys, Wells Fargo for a money donation,and the Ontario Police Officer's Association for their time and money contribution(s).

If you cannot make it out to the BBQ, you can still donate to the family. We are asking for money and gift cards at this time. The church has already provided them with clothes and toiletries. They don't have anywhere to store anymore clothing. Checks are the best option, but gift cards for gas, and food are welcome. Since the home burned down, we are not sure where they will be moving to, so we are not sure what grocery store they will be going to for food. Checks and or money orders made out to the father would be best.

The checks can be sent to:
Ontario Police Officer's Association Attn: Payan Family
2558 S. Archibald Avenue,
Ontario Ca, 91764


Checks can be made out to Leobardo Payan (Father)

Please forward this to as many people as you can. This is truly wonderful family who is in a desperate situation. The bottom of Mr. Payan's feet were completely burned as he tried running upstairs with the garden hose to put out the flames thinking his 4 year old daughter was trapped inside. It is unknown at this time how long the recovery will be for him to start working again.

If you have any questions or want to know how you can help further please contact Officer Gabe Gutierrez.



ggutierrez@ontariopolice.org 909-395-2001 XT:4632



See the link below for the news coverage of the incident.



http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-ontario-house-fire,0,5569716.story

Tim Hetherington, Killed. The Promise From A Friend Still Stands

A personal remembrance.
This is hard. This morning, three phone calls came in at once. My friend Tim Hetherington has died, while covering the war in Libya.
Read the rest at The Kitchen Dispatch

Women & War Conference: A Thought. How To Use Outrage & Anger

So, as with all things, there was a lot of awareness raised about issues that impact on women in the military as well as female veterans. I've done a video log for Sunday morning. Come here my final thoughts. at The Kitchen Dispatch

Saturday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

Thirty-eight year Los Angeles Times Pressman Martin Conboy

• Our man in Bangkok - Gary Scott


• Good looks at the L.A. Times - Kevin Roderick


• April 17th General Meeting Notice - Ronnie Pineda


• Who Will Be The OC Register‘s New Daddy? - Fishbowl LA


• Huffington’s Serfs Storm the Gates - Newspaper Death Watch


• Jeff Cole predicts the death of newspapers in 5 years - Media Beat


• LA Times Calendar Section Loses Another Body - Pandora Young


• At Gannett, Furloughs but Nice Paydays for Brass - New York Times


• Tribune Troubles: Lenders Fiddle As WPIX-TV Stumbles - B. Union News

Union Negotiations with the Tribune Company

The Union and the Co. met on April 6 & 7 to begin negotiations on our new contract. We covered a variety of topics which were addressed by our Contract Review Committee and have exchanged several proposals based on the committees findings.

We did reach tentative agreements in areas of the grievance and arbitration language that would speed up the process of selecting an Arbitrator and having our grievances heard and resolved. We also cleaned and agreed to remove any language that was unnecessary.

A memo was posted detailing an agreement to re-pick vacations which in turn, resolved two grievances regarding vacation picking. Any one that would suffer a financial loss as a result of re-picking must notify the union with proof of loss such as airline or hotel reservations and those vacation times will be granted. This will be a one time situation as schedules should now be picked prior to vacations going forward. Receipts or non-refundable deposits must be dated prior to April 7, 2011

Some Members have asked to attend the negotiations and are welcome to observe by the union on a limited basis due to seating by first notifying Executive Vice President Denson or myself.

Negotiations resume on May 3&4.

In Solidarity!
President Pineda

Save Our Trade

Caught in the act at the Los Angeles Times

Did you know that a thief entered the property last Thursday morning sometime after midnight and broke into a vehicle? I didn’t think you were informed regarding this incident after mentioning this to several of my colleagues.

Pressman Bill Jahr had his new car broken into last week, and somehow the person breaking into his passenger side door of his new car bypassed the alarm system.

Bill has since had the alarm system for his vehicle repaired.

The thief was caught in the act by our security force at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Facility, which led to a foot chase where the burglar escaped into the night. How he entered the property or where is unknown at this time, so be certain and not leave anything of great value in your vehicles passenger compartment.

Hat tip to our security force at Olympic.

The Fighting Season: Bad Guys and Donkeys

I had a talk with The Hubs today. It lasted for 3 minutes before the connection cut out. It was talk about bad guys & donkeys. Read it here at The Kitchen Dispatch.
On Saturday, I will be a guest panelist at the Women & War Conference sponsored by The Soldier's Project at USC.

In Combat And No Paycheck

Hubs with another doc in a Vonnegut world.
Deployed overseas. Check.
Sent to a place where there are bad guys and innocents. Check, check.
Puts mission first. Check.
Read the rest at: The Kitchen Dispatch: In Combat And No Paycheck


And from Facebook, more photos. Ensuring Pay For Our Military 2011

Update: Marine Federal Credit Union to Advance the entire April 15 paycheck.

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

(from left) Linard Williams, Greg Usery, and Russ Harbour

Taken around 1994?

• US newspaper ads hit 25-year low - Guardian


• The Top 25 Newspapers on Twitter - The Wrap


• Comcast Execs Strike Pay Dirt - Multichannel News


• Projo union’s president blasts bonuses at A.H. Belo - WPRI


• Los Angeles Times Festival of Books - Los Angeles Times


• Dodgers hire Bratton as security consultant - Kevin roderick


• Tired of bad press, city of Vernon buys the good kind - Gary Scott


• PressDisplay.com to Power Interactive On-Air Newspaper - SF Gate


• The War On The Middle Class In One Chart - Broadcast Union News


• Reuters Sued: S.F. Bloggers Demand Overtime, Meal Pay - SF Weekly

Warning Warning Will Robinson

Dear Press Room Colleagues, Our Tribune Boss’ at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Facility has deemed this blog “hazardous” for your moral. Readers beware and enter at your own risk.

On Hiatus: Stepping Out Of The Online Jail

This blog will be on hiatus for at least the next two weeks. If you want coverage of the war, I recommend Charlie Sherpa's Red Bull Rising.

The Kitchen Dispatch

Christa Packard Memorial Fund

Condolences to our colleague Charlie Packard on the loss of his younger sister Christa after a long illness. A memorial fund has been created by the family for the care of Christa’s four sons. Christa Packard Memorial Fund 4261 W. 250 N Cedar City, Utah 84720-8196

Man Crush Certified: Battle L.A.

"And so it is in Battle: LA, the Marines are faced with a formidable foe --nameless, faceless, ruthless and effective technologically advanced killers, aliens whom we never learn anything about. But we don't need intel on these clanking heathens... this isn't a movie about COIN. "

Read the rest at The Kitchen Dispatch

Los Angeles Union Rally 03.27.2011

The Unionized Pressmen from the Los Angeles Times joined 10,000 other union workers in the rally held on Saturday March 27th, 2011 for solidarity of all workers across America. Additional photos can be viewed here.

Lyle Myles Chuck Rainey Ronnie Pineda, Mike Brierley, and Chuck Rainey Jesse DeGeytere Linard Williams Frank Lind, and Keith Denson Victor Banuelos Marty Keegan

We Are One! Rally-NYC-April 9, 2011-12:00 noon

We Are One from New York State AFL-CIO on Vimeo.

Union Rally this Saturday

L.A. MARCH Update!
It's a war on workers, and the Teamsters are leading the fight back! Join thousands of Teamsters and thousands more from other unions and community, environmental and students groups in Los Angeles March 26 for L.A. MARCH: Our Communities, Our Jobs.

Mobilizing with us, Grammy award winning Latin rock and hip-hop band, Ozomatli, will be there to show solidarity and take part in Americans' fight for good jobs at Pershing Square on March 26!

Winner of three Grammy awards and two Billboard Latin awards, Ozomatli is dedicated to addressing social justice issues--a hallmark of Ozomatli's work ever since the band formed in 1995 as part of labor protests in Los Angeles.
"I've always felt that music is the key to every culture, the beginning of an understanding," said vocalist and trumpet player Asdru Sierra. "It's a language far more universal than politics."

Don't miss it!

For more information, visit "Our Communities, Our Jobs - Rally on 3/26 in LA!" on Facebook.

General Union Meeting this Sunday

GENERAL MEETING
SUNDAY MARCH 20, 2011
12:00pm to 3:00pm
Crowne Plaza/Commerce Casino
6121 E. Telegraph Rd.
Commerce, Ca. 90040
(323) 721-2100

Join your brothers and Sisters and learn about
recent grievances, arbitrations, International
Financial Assistance, de-certification efforts by
efforts by freeriders, Civil Action against freeriders as well as
upcoming contract negotiations.

Refreshments will be served
50/50 Drawing and Raffle to be held.
Valet and Free Parking available in rear of hotel,
Valet available in front.

www.saveourtrade.blogspot.com

The Gratitude Post: In Tragedy, A Time For Giving (Animal Refuge Kansai)

Dear Pressmen,
I want to thank you for putting out some of the best newspaper stories and photos of the Tohuku-Pacific Earthquake. Also, thank you to photographers world wide for bringing us heartbreaking but unforgettable photos of the crisis in Japan.

In addition, I'm extremely grateful to soldiers from around the world, most especially Japan's Self Defense Forces --many of whom have lost their own homes and family members, but continue to work 24/7 helping make sense of the earthquake tragedy.

So many of us have already give to the REDCROSS by texting 90999. Right now, I'm running information on how to save a household pet in the ravaged areas of Japan. Much like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, here in the U.S., the Animal Refuge Kansai is accepting donations to help take care of household pets. Please click below for a link to my post telling how you can give a small donation of $12.60 or roughly 1,000 yen.
Read it at: The Kitchen Dispatch
Thank you for all your hard work.
I hope things get better for everyone.
Best,
Kanani

Monday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

Downtown Los Angeles at 1st and Main Streets

• Pressman Jobs - iHirePrinting
• Production Plants Closing - News & Tech
• Tribune puts spotlight on hedge fund battler - Reuters
• Celebrate the power of newspapers - The Daily Times
• Tribune Co. bankruptcy nearing finish line - Chicago Tribune
• Who owns newspaper companies? - Nieman Journalism Lab
• Trib Creditors Set to Clash Over Plan to Shift Losses - Bloomberg
• AP Reporter Nears Profit After Starting a Paper From Scratch - E&P
• Judge OKs class-action against Tribune ESOP trustee - Chicago BB
• Newspapers are obsolete? You're reading one, pal - Business Journal

The Clarion Call: Snyder vs. Phelps (Westboro Church)

"The Snyder family has performed a great service by giving exposure to Westboro's practice of invoking the name of God to promote hate. It is a clarion call to get involved. The military support community will continue to make Westboro's experience at funerals so fruitless that no one bothers to join them."
Read the rest at: The Kitchen Dispatch

Join General President Hoffa in Los Angeles on March 26

Attention Teamsters: Join General President Hoffa
in Los Angeles on March 26 for
OUR JOBS, OUR COMMUNITIES RALLY


It is time to fight back, time to create our own hope and change!

SATURDAY MARCH 26, 2011

10:00 AM - Gather at JW Marriott, 900 West Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles

11:00 A.M. - March begins

12:30 P.M. - Rally begins at Pershing Square

All over the world, people have been making their voices heard demanding change. Now it's our turn! Join General President Jim Hoffa and thousands of Teamsters in the streets of downtown Los Angeles as we march for jobs and justice, speak truth to power and demand:

Communities before corporations
People before profits
Main Street before Wall Street

We'll march and rally together with other union members, workers fighting for their rights, students and activists from the environmental, faith, civil rights and immigrant rights movements.

For more information, visit www.teamster.org or call 866-832- 6787 and find us on Facebook at "Our Communities/Our Jobs"

Click here to download the flier.

h/t Victor Banuelos

Saturday morning in the Blogosphere

Newspapers hot off the printing press

• Possible layoffs in Orange County - Gary Scott
• Washington Post Beats Estimate - Yahoo Finance
• LA Times Calendar Section Defends Itself - Tina Dupuy
• Hundreds of thousands of downloads for The Daily - AFP
• L.A. Times taps WPC for press upgrade - News & Tech
• Galesburg newspaper press rumbles to life again - Pjstar
• Romantic notion of printing press vanishing - Brian Mackey
• US Standard of Living in Peril From Dollar's Weakness: Zell - CNBC
• Why Did Newspapers Take So Long to Copy Groupon? - Bloomberg
• Illinois could remove public notices from newspapers - Chicago Tribune

Departing LAT reporter cites 'hostile work conditions' - LA Observed

From: Fernandez, Maria Elena
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 12:08 PM
To: Stanton, Russ; Maharaj, Davan
Cc: Firouzi, Yasmin
Subject: Resignation: effective immediately

Hello,

I am sorry to inform you that I have decided to resign from the Los Angeles Times, a newspaper that has been my home and my job for nearly 12 years. For 10 of those years, this was the best job I ever had and I will take those memories, knowledge and experiences wherever I go.

This is not a decision I’ve come to lightly or impulsively. But I cannot work under these hostile work conditions anymore. Calendar has become a complete nightmare to work in, and it is just time to go.

Thank you for all the opportunities that you gave me. I really will remember this newsroom fondly. I am in the process of getting my personal stuff together but plan to leave the building as soon as I can. You can reach me at xxx-xxx-xxxx or [email address] if you need to.

I know that very soon I will have only positive memories of the LA Times to focus on. There are many wonderful people here, and I will miss you very much.

Sincerely,
Maria Elena


Departing LAT reporter cites 'hostile work conditions' - LA Observed

Los Angeles Times Pressmen' Get Together

It’s been over a year since the pressmen from the Los Angeles Times have gathered together, and with many brothers passing away I have been urged to put together a gathering as soon as possible.

On Saturday afternoon March 26th, at 2:00 p.m. we will get together in El Monte at El Patio Bar and Grill for a day of remembrance and friendship with colleagues and friends. We have decided to open up the club to everyone from the newspaper and also friends, so don’t miss out, as this will be a fun event for all in attendance.

We once collected dues, but with costs rising so quickly we have decided that everyone pickup their own tab. A special menu will be offered at a low cost for those who choose to dine at this great Mexican Restaurant.

A special event page has been created on Facebook, but if your not on the contact list you can notify me if your attending by dropping an email to edpadgett1@verizon.net, or calling or texting 909.230.2061.

I hope to see you there!

El Patio Bar and Grill
11672 Ramona Boulevard
El Monte, CA 91732-2308

...(626) 444-1963

Tribune Company Press Release

With Q, quadrantONE Enables the First Fully Branded, Private Audience Platform and Exchange for Premium Local Media

Tribune, Gannett, Hearst, and The New York Times Company All Committing Significant Inventory to the RTB Space and Sold Exclusively through quadrantONE

Q-Select Enables First Access for Buyers Seeking Local Audiences in Branded, Well-Lit Environments while Q-Exchange Buyers Enjoy Automated Access to Premium, Structured Local Inventory via RTB

quadrantONE, a joint venture of four major media companies (Tribune Company, Gannett Co., Inc., Hearst Corporation and The New York Times Company) today announced the public debut of Q, a new source for premium local audiences. With Q, quadrantONE repositions itself as the company that provides media buyers with the source of data that the marketplace is demanding – the true audience behind the buy – with no third party between buyer and seller, and therefore more dollars from every campaign actually going to inventory and not to intermediaries and other third parties.

“quadrantONE’s reach across premium local news sites, and our array of digital solutions, enable us to provide deeper insights and present actionable recommendations to clients”
.“Local display advertising has been held back by limited audience insight,” said Peter Krasilovsky, VP, Marketplaces and Leader, Conferences, BIA/Kelsey. “The new arrangement by quadrantONE to provide high quality local audience insight for its newspaper participants should help jumpstart local display efforts.”

Buyers of all Q products see more of their campaign dollars go directly into their campaign. Unlike other RTB and exchange products, Q-Exchange sells inventory from only premium sites with full transparency built in. With no need to pay for third party aggregator or selling service fees or verification, and as an audience-buying product, Q-Select provides multiple other benefits not commonly offered by other exchanges:

Q – Optimizer: Provides real-time optimization recommendations based on campaign insights and automatically executes optimizations aligned with campaign goals in mind;

Q – Insights: Delivers quantitative, as well as qualitative, insights about individual campaigns, the back-end learning that provides a value-add to buyers;

Q – Effects: Moves beyond the click to measure brand/message recall, engagement, and post impression actions.

“Our four owners are coming together to address the needs of digital marketers, which increasingly means real time bidding on specific audiences,” said Lincoln Millstein, Senior Vice President for Digital Media, Hearst Newspapers, and a quadrantONE board member.

“Digital marketers are seeking premium local audiences, and we are providing streamlined access by committing inventory in the guaranteed, automated bidding space,” said Josh Resnik, Vice President and General Manager, Gannett Digital Media.

“quadrantONE’s reach across premium local news sites, and our array of digital solutions, enable us to provide deeper insights and present actionable recommendations to clients,” said Don Meek, Executive Vice President, Tribune Company and quadrantONE board member. “We have assembled some of the most trusted brands in the media industry to meet the challenges of today’s dynamic marketplace, and we look forward to Q becoming an indispensable tool for agencies, their trading desk practices and many other buyers as digital marketing continues to grow and evolve.”

“Q provides brands with an effective and efficient tool for reaching a premium, local audience online, in real-time,” said Lisa DeSisto, chief advertising officer for New York Times Company-owned Boston Globe and general manager of Boston.com. “We are very excited to participate in the creation of this new platform along with other top trusted media outlets with powerful brands and highly desirable audiences.”

“Through the insights gained by Q, quadrantONE exclusively gains a deeper understanding of the premium, local audience,” said Michael Barrett, the CEO of Admeld, whose private exchange technology is powering Q-Exchange. “Since quadrantONE already has a strong track record of effectively aggregating and monetizing that audience, it will capture new revenue streams while providing substantial value and convenience to buyers. We’re very pleased to collaborate with quadrantONE on Q.”

“I am not at all surprised by the pent-up demand for what Q provides. Marketers and their agencies have consistently and publicly expressed their challenge in making it simple to reach scalable audiences in clean, well-lit environments online, and this is our answer to that challenge” said Mario Diez, CEO of quadrantONE. “The premium local publishing industry is making a commitment to provide marketers with the means to reach national audiences directly through an array of buying strategies and platforms that continue to emerge. Q is a source of this premium, local audience.”

This launch was first reported by Advertising Age: http://adage.com/article/digital/york-times-hearst-tribune-gannett-form-private-online-ad-exchange/149122/

About quadrantONE
quadrantONE is a joint venture of four major media companies that focuses on premium advertisers seeking high-quality audiences and national reach. Backed by Tribune Company, Gannett Co., Inc., Hearst Corporation and The New York Times Company, quadrantONE offers exclusive ad inventory on premium news and information sites across the nation’s top local markets. For the first time, advertisers can consistently deliver their brand and message on a country-wide scale in context with local relevancy in environments they know and that consumers trust.

Tuesday Night in the Blogosphere

Union Rally at Los Angeles City Hall last Saturday

• Tough Times at the L.A. Times - Kevin Welner
• Newspapers remain the trusted source - NJ.com
• Bill violates government openness - MySuburbanLife
• Will the iPad Save Print? - American Journalism Review
• Newspaper truck taken in Spokane with woman inside - Seattle PI
• Team of LA Times journalists wins 2011 Selden Ring Award - USC
• Memo to Newspapers: Incremental Change is Not Helping - GIGAOM
• Recession forcing workers to show up on time - Oregon Business Report
• Judge declines to cap damages in Tribune ESOP suit - Chicago Business
• Locked out workers at Montreal newspaper accept new contract - Globe Mail

Frank Buckles, Last WWI Veteran Dies: A Lifetime Journey Kick Started By War

"After the passage of another birthday; as well as five attempts passing through the Navy and Marine recruiters in two different cities; the simple addition of adding five years to his age; and claiming to Army recruiters in Oklahoma City that there were no public records of births in Missouri --Frank Buckles was accepted into the United States Army. He was sixteen, though to the Army, he was twenty-one."
Read more at: The Kitchen Dispatch