Update, Feb. 26: Our bargaining bulletins are usually brief, but Tuesday’s contained some pretty big news: Company representatives are proposing that we explore merging our new BANG-EB Guild unit with the established Guild unit at the Mercury News.

What does this mean exactly? In a consolidated Guild unit, we would share the same contract with our coworkers at the Mercury News, and managers likely would have more leeway to coordinate operations across our newsrooms.

We’ve always used the term “One Big BANG,” and we think the idea of formally creating a seamless Bay Area News Group deserves a serious look amid our current financial crisis. So our bargaining team and its counterpart from Merc have agreed to talk about the idea. With the help of federal mediator David Weinberg, we’ll enter talks with the company in early March to begin discussing what a merged unit could look like, and how employees might be affected.

This is by no means a done deal: A merger would be a complex undertaking, requiring support from members of all the affected units, and involving separate votes of our members and Guild members at the Mercury News. It won’t happen unless all sides see evidence that it’s in the best interest of our company and its workers.

So we want to hear from you: How would you feel about sharing a union contract with our colleagues in San Jose? What concerns or questions do you have?

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Join us this Saturday, May 31, for a BBQ with BANG-EB employees, Guild members from SF and SJ, public supporters of the One Big BANG campaign, friends and family. We’ve reserved the picnic area at Live Oak Park in Berkeley from noon to 4 p.m. (map, printable flyer).

Kevin Fagan of the Chronicle Guild and others will provide acoustic sounds. Funnybone the Clown will thrill the kids from 1-2 pm with balloon sculptures, magic tricks, etc.

Please note: no alcohol permitted by local ordinance.

Guild members at the San Francisco Chronicle reached an agreement with management last week for a voluntary termination program that will be offered employees of the newspaper’s Finance Department. The terms were negotiated during several meetings after the company decided it could save costs by consolidating financial operations to central Hearst Corp. facilities. (more…)

By Josh Richman:

MY BABY, SHE WROTE ME A LETTER:

By now many of you have received and read a letter from John Armstrong and
Kevin Keane explaining why it’s “unfortunate” that the “National Newspaper Guild”
is organizing our newsrooms. Ready, set… dissect! (more…)