Bulletin, Oct. 30: We filed unfair labor practice charges Monday to protest the Bay Area News Group-East Bay’s refusal to negotiate a proposed layoff of eight of our members before the company implemented the layoff last week.

Guild representatives met with management Monday after the company on Thursday asked for a meeting to discuss yet another workforce reduction. But before we could meet, the company notified the eight layoff victims and locked them out of the workplace. Severance and other terms were dictated rather than negotiated.

We filed the charge to assert our right to a meaningful opportunity to negotiate the decision to lay off additional employees, as well as the effects of this move on our members. Token discussions after the fact are not sufficient, we told the company Monday.

We filed the ULP with the Oakland office of the National Labor Relations Board. After the regional office investigates, a complaint may be issued if the NLRB finds merit in our charge.

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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…)