Chronicle Workers' Union Votes In Favor of Hearst Proposal
Members of the San Francisco Chronicle Unit of the CA Media Workers Guild Local 39521 voted Saturday by a 10-1 margin in favor of a Hearst Corp. proposal designed to avoid sale or closure of the newspaper. Given the inevitability of approximately 150 layoffs in the coming weeks, the vote reflected the urgency by union members to approve an agreement for a generous severance package for all employees let go--the agreed-upon package includes a year of full pay and health benefits.
The agreement conceded to Hearst a number of items including wiping away seniority protection for job loss, and reducing vacation and sick leave. Carl Hall, lead negotiator for the Guild, said this following the agreement:
...the outcome demonstrated a clear-eyed attitude among Guild members concerned about protecting, as best we can, the interests of members and their families facing job loss. But now the focus must shift away from cost cuts, he said, adding that no amount of concessions can prop up a failed business model for long.“This is the start of the real battle. We have to find a solution, a real solution, to save what we really care about here - quality journalism and quality jobs.”
We wish all our print journalism friends the best in these tough times and we must hereby admit that, without their actual old-school reporting, we often might not have much to blog about.