From: Armstrong, John
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 6:46 PM
Subject: Union Certification Election

Colleagues:

Based on an oral agreement between representatives of the company and the guild, the National Labor Relations Board will schedule a secret ballot election on Friday, June 13th, on the union’s petition to become the exclusive bargaining agent for pay, benefits and working conditions for nonsupervisory news employees of Bay Area News Group-East Bay. Yes, you read correctly: Friday the 13th. (more…)

Answer: A guild gives us the legal right to sit at the bargaining table and negotiate decisions that affect our future, especially regarding working conditions. Right now, we have no guarantees. We are at-will employees, meaning we can be fired for any reason…

Click for more on this topic and for other FAQ’s.

You’ve probably noticed that things are changing in the newsroom. As one of our editors put it this week, what was a once a little organizing campaign has now become a Campaign with a capital C.

We know things are changing on management’s end too. The news that we had filed guild cards brought a flurry of response, including the hiring of a Tennessee firm known nationally for its union-fighting tactics, and a Southern California consulting group that specializes in, among other things, helping employers keep their labor costs down. (more…)

In the wake of our filing of a petition and signature cards calling for Guild representation, the National Labor Relations Board’s Oakland staff has scheduled a hearing for next week at which some of us and some company representatives will testify about the parameters of the bargaining unit – who’s in, who’s not. And once that’s hashed out, we expect that an election date will be set. (more…)