Members of the union representing employees of the
Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News overwhelmingly ratified a two-year
collective bargaining agreement Tuesday with parent company Philadelphia Media
Network.
The 259-12 vote in favor of the tentative deal reached
June 29 means that Philadelphia’s two largest general circulation newspapers
will avoid a work stoppage.
Newspaper Guild Executive Director Bill Ross said the
roughly 40 Philly.com employees will vote Wednesday afternoon to ratify their
separate contract.
Ross said the main unit’s members almost immediately had
questions about the timing of a buyout that PMN included in the deal.
Management has said it would provide details of the buyout after the contract
was ratified by guild members.
The only information provided so far is that PMN will
offer a new buyout program to employees of 25 years or more (40 weeks pay and
six months of health care coverage).
The main unit’s contract also eliminates furloughs, halts
health care insurance costs, doubles severance pay length and keeps the annual
profit sharing plan in place.
The Philly.com tentative contract, reached on June 19,
includes the first-ever wage scale with guaranteed annual raises for junior
employees, seniority language that mirrors that of the main unit and two dozen
work-rule improvements.
The ratification ends what has been a contentious
contract battle between their union and management that peaked in early June
when guild members voted to authorize a strike and PMN said publication of the
city’s two largest newspapers would continue regardless of a work stoppage.
Source: Philadelphia
Business Journal
No comments:
Post a Comment