2011 Local Action

LOCAL ACTION

Jan. 28 General Membership meeting
(Minutes for the Jan. 28 meeting are expected to be approved at the March 31 meeting of the General Membership in the Washington Guild office.)

Jan. 28 Executive Council meeting
(Minutes for the Jan. 28 meeting are expected to be approved at the next gathering of the board.)

Jan. 11 Executive Council meeting
(Minutes for the Jan. 11 meeting are expected to be approved at the Jan. 28 gathering of the board.)

Dec. 3 General Membership meeting
(Minutes for the Dec. 3 meeting are expected to be approved at the Saturday, Jan. 28 meeting of the General Membership in the Baltimore Guild office.

Dec. 3 Executive Council meeting
* Council approved the Jobs With Justice contract. The new three-year deal expires Dec. 31, 2014.
* Council approved merger with the York, Penn., local of The Newspaper Guild
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann gave an update on contract negotiations at the National Labor College, which is seeking a private-sector partner.
* Ehrmann gave an update on negotations at the American Nurses Association, where a contract expires Feb. 15, 2012.
* Council approves plan and schedule for the Front Page Awards. Deadline for submissions is Valentine's Day.
* Council approved filing an appeal on decision by an administrative law judge in a dispute at the Sun.
* WBNG President Sheila Lindsay reported on the Tri-Council meeting of The Newspaper Guild.

Nov. 10 Executive Council meeting
* Council approved an collective bargaining agreement ratified by the membership at the AFL-CIO unit on Nov. 4. The four-year contract expires Sept. 30, 2015.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in a grievance at Casa of Maryland.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in a grievance at Change to Win.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in a grievance at the Solidarity Center.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in a grievance at UFCW.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in a grievance involving the reassignments of two employees at the APWU.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in a grievance involving unilateral changes in health care as a result of the Guild's challenge to a change in health-care providers at APWU.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in a grievance over a firing of an news-staff employee at the Post.
* Local Representative Paul Reilly reported that an agreement on downsizing has been reached at the American Rights at Work unit.
* Council approved sending contributing $200 each to the AFL-CIO Community Services agencies in Washington and Baltimore; and $100 each to federation affiliates Pride at Work and the Labor Heritage Foundation.
* Council received an update on the proposed merger of the York, Penn., Newspaper Guild.
* Council received an update on the Tribune bankruptcy.
* Council approved the September financial report for the local. Adminstrative Officer Cet Parks announced that the local ended Fiscal Year 2011 with a surplus.
* Council approved an Elections and Referendum Committee to announce and count ballots for an election for a single board seat that has come open. The election will be Dec. 3.

Oct. 6 Executive Council meeting
* Council approved an American Nurses Association bargaining committee: Sheila Lindsay, Don Griesheimer, Wesley Harris, Janet Habler, Marguerite Smalls, Cheray Jones, Roz Sloan and WBNG Local Representative Rick Ehrmann.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in the wrongful termination of a commercial employee at the Post.
* Working America Unit Chairman Christian Norton reported on a settlement of a wage reopener: Lump-sum payments of $2,700 to $3,000.
* Local Representative Paul Reilly reported that the United Way unit had settled its contract.
* Council discussed procedure for election of at-large council member; per the local's bylaws, a vote has been scheduled for the Dec. 3 General Membership meeting.
* Council approved possible support for a dinner hosted by Consumer Action, pending an investigation into the group's legitimacy.
* The next meeting of the board was set for Nov. 10, in the Washington Guild office.

Sept. 10 General Membership meeting
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann discussed interest-based bargaining at the National Labor College, where a contract expired June 30. This style of bargaining is to be tried at the AFL-CIO in bargaining sessions scheduled for late September.
* Local President Sheila Lindsay (American Nurses Association) gave an update on the pending merger of the York, Penn., Newspaper Guild local into WBNG. The York local's board has given unanimous approval to signing on as a unit at Local 32035.
* Ehrmann gave an update on a two-year agreement reached at the Washington Post.
* Local Representative Paul Reilly gave an update on the Department for Professional Employees contract, which expired June 30, and is based on the AFL-CIO agreement.
* Reilly gave an update on the sale of BNA to Bloomberg. Guild-covered workers are being prepared for the takeover by the 13,500-person company, which is entirely non-union.
* Interim WBNG Treasurer Amy Lampkin, the sole nominee for the position, was elected to the board to finish out the 2011-12 term of that office.
* Brian Callaci (Change to Win), Dave Carpio (AFL-CIO), and Tim Fitzgerald (APWU) were nominated to fill a vacant At-Large council seat. The election will take place at the General Membership meeting Dec. 3.
* Council approved the establishment of a Connie Knox Memorial Award "for long and distinguished service to the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild.

Sept. 10 Executive Council meeting
* Council approved an AFL-CIO bargaining committee: Byron Charlton, Carlos Carrillo, Robert Struckman, Amy Lampkin, Tiffany Heath, Don Slaiman, David Keicher, David Carpio, and WBNG Executive Director Cet Parks.
* Council approved new Guild contracts with employers at the units of the Department for Professional Employees, Change to Win, and Casa de Maryland.
* Purchase of a 1/2-page ad in the Metropolitan Washington Community Services Agency golf-tourney program guide was authorized.
* Following a discussion of a proposal for a dues increase, an organizing committee was re-constituted. Additions to the committee include Mark Pattison and Dennis Sadowski (CNS), Evan Yeats (UFCW), Elise Bryant (NLC), and Christian Norton (Metropolitan DC AFL-CIO).
* Council approved merger with the York, Penn., local. The proposal will be submitted to the WBNG membership at the Dec. 3 meeting.

Aug. 10 Executive Council meeting
* Under the WBNG bylaws, an emergency session was convened to discuss two specific items.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate was granted in an newsroom-employee discipline case at the Baltimore Sun.
* Discretionary authority to appeal an arbitrator's decision was granted in a mandatory-subject-of-bargaining dispute at the National Association of Social Workers.

July 28 Executive Council meeting
* Bruce Nelson, TNG Sector Representative, gave a presentation on the upcoming merger with the two units of the York, Penn., Guild, where contracts are held with the Record and the Dispatch.
* Executive Director Cet Parks and WBNG President Sheila Lindsay gave a report on the CWA convention. The local is likely to receive a significant rebate in 2012 and 2013 from the International union's Strategic Fund.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate was granted in a grievance at UFCW.
Discretionary authority to arbitrate was granted in a conflict at NASW, where the organization's CEO refuses to listen to a grievance filed on behalf of the entire Guild bargaining unit.
* Council approved recently negotiated agreements at the Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, and American Rights at Work.
* Council approved a National Labor College bargaining committee of Henry Jajuga, Pat Greenfield, Julie Ann Mendez DeLeon, Janie Cobb and Local Representative Rick Ehrmann.
* A moment of silence was held for Connie Knox, former WBNG president, who passed away earlier in the summer.
* The next meeting of the Executive Council was set for Sept. 10.

June 23 Executive Council meeting
* Council approved a recently negotiated contract at United Way of America.
* Executive Director Cet Parks reported that the Solidarity Center unit had ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, 21-0. The contract includes a $10,000 raise.
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann gave a report on bargaining at the Washington Post, where a two-year contract expired June 7. Post Guild activist and WBNG Vice President Darlene Meyer reported that more than 60 Post employees turned out for informational picketing on June 22.
* Ehrmann reported that the Agence France-Presse unit had ratified a preliminary draft of a contract extension. Council deferred action on the agreement until it is more finalized.
* Council approved moving a BNA grievance to arbitration.
* National Association of Social Workers unit Treasurer Dina Kastner gave a report on the shop’s finances during its transition into WBNG. Parks gave an update on dues collection at the unit; pending an arbitrator's decision, many members of the unit did not pay dues for the last six months of 2010.
* Parks and WBNG President Sheila Lindsay give an update on their recent visit to the TNG Local in York, Penn., which is planning to merge into WBNG.
* Council approved the most-recent financial report and the formation of a WBNG Finance Committee: Treasurer Amy Lampkin (chair), Lindsay, Meyer, Secretary Mark Gruenberg, board member Mark Patterson, Parks (ex officio), and staff accountant Elsie Thull.
* Council received a report on contributions made by TNG to Guild members in Joplin, Mo., where much of the city was devastated by tornadoes.
* Council learned of the dissolution of the two-member International Labor Communications Association unit. One member was laid off and is planning to retire, and the other is on paid maternity leave.
* The next Executive Council meeting was set for July 28, in the Washington Guild office.

June 4 General Membership meeting
* A report was received on buyout offers at the Solidarity Center.
* A report was received on a book-writing seminar staged by the Washington Post unit; a discussion ensued about the possibility of the Guild hosting similar offerings at other units.
* Council discussed the possibility and usefulness of a Guild Facebook page.
* Council members assessed the outcome of TNG Region I elections and considered a parent-union survey to be completed on actions to be taken during the July convention.
* A report was received on the status of a grievance brought by a former worker at BNA
* The next General Membeship meeting was confirmed at scheduled for Sept. 10, in the Baltimore Guild office.

May 24 Executive Council meeting
* Executive Director Cet Parks said that the Local 500 SEIU unit had successfully negotiated and ratified a new collective bargaining agreement.
* Parks said that the Kaiser Permanente unit had reached an agreement through interest bargaining. Details are still being working out; a ratification vote is set for June.
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann gave an update on Washington Post bargaining, where a two-year agreement expires June 7.
* Solidarity Center unit members Robert Pajkovsky (unit chair, based in Kiev), Lorraine Clewes (Mexico City), Larry Clemens (Beirut), and Chris Johnson (Johannesburg) gave a presentation on negotiations with management, which appears to have stabilized after years of turnover in the executive director position. The four also described what it was like at their posts.
* Council approved retroactive and discretionary authority to arbitrate a Baltimore Sun grievance over management’s refusal to recall photographers and for management performing bargaining-unit work.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Change to Win re what Local Representative Paul Reilly characterized as “out-of-the-blue” contract proposal changes: starting date, length of wage freeze, elimination of step increases, and no transportation allowance for new hires.
* By speakerphone, York Newspaper Guild members Liz Evans (president) and Erin McCracken, and Lori Lebow, TNG organizer/liaison in York, discussed with the WBNG board the latest on the potential merger with the southern Pennsylvania local, which represents about 80 employees at two newspapers.
* Council approved $1,500 for National Association of Social Workers unit expenses related to that shop’s transition into Local 32035.
* WBNG President Sheila Lindsay announced the resignation of Treasurer Jim Grossfeld (health reasons). Council approved Amy Lampkin (AFL-CIO) as interim treasurer. Under Local 32035 bylaws, nominations for the position will be taken at the next General Membership meeting (Sept. 10).
* Council discussed upcoming TNG International elections.
* Council approved the local’s most-recent financial report.
* Council approved $250 for quarter-page ad in program of DC Film Fest.
* Council approved partial payment ($275) of Solidarity Center member Alonso Suson’s expenses to attend Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance convention July 21-24 in Oakland.
* The next Executive Council meeting was set for June 23, in the Washington Guild office.

April 20 Executive Council meeting
* Executive Director Cet Parks announced that the Baltimore Sun unit had ratified a three-year contract. Council approved the Sun agreement.
* Parks announced that the Kaiser Permanente unit had reached an agreement with management utilizing interest bargaining. The contract now runs through March 2013. Council approved the KP agreement.
* Parks said that bargaining at the Solidarity Center was continuing. Management has paid for travel for Guild members to be in the U.S. for next round of negotiations.
* Council approved a United Way of America bargaining team of Bill Hauenstein, Nancy McCormack, and WBNG Local Representative Paul Reilly.
* Council approved an Agence France-Presse bargaining team of Rob Lever, Paul Richards, Michelle Kwajafa, Lizbeth Menzies, Carlos Hamann and Paul Reilly.
* Council approved an American Rights at Work bargaining team of Michael Wasser, Beth Handy, and Paul Reilly.
* Council approved a Casa of Maryland bargaining team of Delia Aguilar, Maria Maldonado, Yecenia Castillo, Michael Petrick, Jacinta Nino, and Paul Reilly.
* Council approved adding Nikita Stewart to the National Labor College bargaining team to replace a member who had been promoted out of the unit. Council member Matt Losak (NLC) said that if buyouts are accepted, the unit will shrink from 19 to 14.
* Council approved giving $155 to the CWA International Union-to-Union program. .
* WBNG President Sheila Lindsay announced the chartering of a WBNG Retired Members Council, with a one-time membership fee of $25. Barb Irwin will be chairwoman; Bill Salganik will be involved.
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann reported that 150 people attended the Washington Post Guild event titled "Make Contract Bargaining a Piece of Cake: Join the Guild." Ehrmann said that at least half a dozen new members have been recruited.

March 31 General Membership meeting
* The winners of the Front Page Awards and Guild Service Awards for 2010 were honored.

March 9 Executive Council meeting
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann reported that Guild-represented workers at the National Association of Social Workers had ratified a 30-month agreement. The 46-member unit’s first WBNG contract expires June 30, 2013.
* A report was presented on the Front Page Awards for 2010; the competition had nearly 80 entries.
* WBNG President Sheila Lindsay announced the mass mobilization April 4 for workers’ rights, with CWA leading the rally; materials to be distributed to units. The date chosen coincides with the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
* Council received reports on intra-unit business at NASW and at the American Nurses Association. After a discussion with the parties involved at the shop level, Council took no formal action.
* Date for training session for local-unit officers was postponed. Council members agreed to discuss the goals and scope of the training at the next board meeting (April 20), and to schedule the training session based on that discussion.

Feb. 19 General Membership meeting
* The York, Penn., Newspaper Guild local, which represents about 80 workers at two newspapers there, made a presentation and then discussed with the board a proposed merger with WBNG. TNG International has said that it will help rebuild York's Dispatch sub-unit.
* Other presentations were made on organizing; the formation of an organizing committee was discussed.
* Guild member King Man Ho thanked WBNG for helping him win an arbitration award at Radio Free Asia.
* The next membership meeting was set for March 31, and will feature a ceremony for the 2010 Front Page Awards.

Feb. 19 Executive Council meeting
* Council discussed all the matters that had been weighed in board polls necessitated by inclement weather forcing postponement and then cancellation of Guild meetings in January. All the board polls were approved.
* Mark Pattison (Catholic News Service) gave a report on TNG's Southern District Tri-Council conference and on the joint TNG-NABET-ITU conference in Cleveland.
* Council approved financial reports.
* The next Executive Council meeting was set for Wednesday, March 9, in the Washington office

Jan. 13, 2011, Executive Council meeting
* Local Representative Paul Reilly reported on the ratification of the Catholic News Service contract. Council approved the CNS agreement.
* Council approved a Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions bargaining committee of Mike Hurley, John Kolodny, Anissa Dixon, Robert Williams, and WBNG Executive Director Cet Parks.
* Council approved a Solidarity Center bargaining committee of Robert Pajkovski, Lorraine Clewer, Christopher Johnson, Laurie Clements, and Parks. Bargaining will begin Jan. 24 on wage reopener. The Center will pay travel expenses for bargaining committee members who must fly in from abroad.
* Council approved a Washington Post bargaining committee of Renata Jackson, Darlene Meyer, Mike Gronowski, Fred Kunkle, Whitney Shefte, James Crudup, Maria Glod, and Local Representative Rick Ehrmann.
* Ehrmann reported on the “mess” at the National Association of Social Workers. After the members ratified a collective bargaining agreement, management showed up at the signing ceremony with what NASW Unit Chairman Dawan Jones called “a document different from the one we ratified,” which they had brought with them to the ceremony. The document management sought signatures on was, indeed, different from the one they had sent the unit to ratify. There was no signing ceremony. Council approved, retroactively, the filing of an unfair labor practices charge against NASW.
* Bruce Nelson of The Newspaper Guild International presented a proposal to have WBNG merge with the York, Pa., local, which comprises two units (at two newspapers) with a total of 85 members. Council approved an exploratory committee consisting of Sheila Lindsay, Mark Pattison, and Cet Parks to talk with the York local about a possible merger.
* Council approved sending Parks as a delegate to the CWA District 2 conference in West Va., March 30-31.
* Council approved the purchase of a quarter-page ad in the program for the “Evening With Labor” hosted by the Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO; council approve sending two delegates, Lindsay and Ehrmann, to the event.
* The first annual WBNG Unit Chair meeting was set for Jan. 18 at the D.C. office.
* The results of the election of officers and Executive Council members from the Small Units and Members unit were announced: Chris Norton (Working America) will serve as chairman and Elise Bryant (National Labor College) as vice chair. Joining them on the Executive Council will be Mark Pattison (Catholic News Service), Denise Riley (Maryland-DC AFL-CIO), Dennis Sadowski (Catholic News Service), and Adam Wright (Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO). Alternates are Chris Garlock (Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO), Allan Lengel (at-large member), and Mariya Strauss (ILCA). New officers and council members will take office at the local’s General Membership meeting on Jan. 29.
* The next Executive Council meeting was set for Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Washington office.

Dec. 9. 2010, Executive Council meeting
* Council approved the three-year contract ratified by the UFCW unit. The agreement features 2 percent annual raises.
* Council approved a first contract at the Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO.
* Council approved an Elections and Referendum Committee comprising Mark Gruenberg (Small Units), Amy Lampkin (AFL-CIO), and Bill Salganik (Small Units).
* Executive Director Cet Parks gave a report on the arbitration win at Radio Free Asia.
* Gruenberg, who serves as WBNG secretary, gave a preview of the 2010 Front Page Awards (he is again the chairman).The deadline for submission was set: Feb. 14, 2011.
* Dennis Sadowski, a member from the Catholic News Service unit, gave a report on the CWA Media Sector organizing conference in Cleveland. Sadowski said that attendees emerged with enthusiasm and momentum that they hope to communicate to local units.
* Council approved creation of a "Guild Fund" to handle non-representational contributions to charities and other causes. The details of the fund are to be worked out with Executive Director Cet Parks.
* Council voted to move the January General Membership meeting from Jan. 22 to Jan. 29.
* The next meeting of the Executive Council was set for Jan. 13, 2011, in Washington.

Nov. 10 General Membership meeting
* The floor was opened to nominations for WBNG officers and five at-large executive council seats for the 2011-2012 local board:

The nominations for WBNG officers were: Mark Pattison (Catholic News Service) for President; Darlene Meyer (Post) for Vice President; Mark Gruenberg (Press Associates Union News/Small Units) for Secretary; and Sheila Lindsay (American Nurses Association) for Treasurer.
The nominations for at-large seats on the Executive Council were: Ken May (BNA), Jim Grossfeld (Small Units), Tiffany Heath (AFL-CIO), Dawan Jones (NASW), Keith Barnes (Post), and Kelly Whittaker (APWU/Small Units).

* Council approved sending four delegates to the TNG-CWA Sector Conference in Orlando and one delegate to the CWA convention in Las Vegas.

The nominations were: Mark Pattison, Sheila Lindsay, Connie Knox (Sun) and Tiffany Heath as delegates to the sector conference; and Cet Parks (Small Units) as the delegate to the CWA convention..

* Council directed WBNG staff to send letters to all nominees, requesting their assent.
* A tentative general membership meeting schedule for 2011 was announced: Saturday, Jan. 22 (Baltimore); Thursday, March 31 (Front Page Awards ceremony in Washington); Saturday, June 4 (Washington); Saturday, Sept. 10 (Baltimore); Saturday, Dec. 3 (Washington).

Nov. 10 Executive Council meeting
(The meeting was called to order in the Washington office shortly after the adjournment of the General Membership meeting.)
* Council approved ratification of the AFL-CIO contract. Retroactive to April 1, it runs through September 2011.
* Council approved an 18-month contract extension at APWU. The agreement calls for two extra days off and a one-day-a-week telecommuting option as a permanent feature. There are also COLA raises in the agreement running to May 20, 2012, and health insurance premiums remain fully paid by the employer.
* National Association of Social Workers unit Chairman Dawan Jones said that a tentative Guild contract had been reached, but awaited ratification by the membership. About 50 workers at NASW will be covered by the agreement, a successor to a contract negotiated by the directly-affiliated CWA local that merged into the Guild this year.
* Discretionary authority granted to arbitrate a just-and-sufficient cause contract violation grievance at Kaiser Permanente, where the Guild represents the staff of the Coalition of KP Unions.
* Discretionary authority granted to file an Unfair Labor Practice complaint at Kaiser for management’s failure to provide information for the just-and-sufficient grievance (above).
* Retroactive approval granted to file grievance against BNA regarding denial of flexible work arrangements in Rockville.
* Council approved a Change to Win bargaining team of Trina Scordo, Michael Best, and Local Representative Paul Reilly. The CtW Guild contract expires Dec. 31.
* Council approved a Catholic News Service bargaining team of Mark Pattison, Mary Esslinger, and Paul Reilly. The CNS Guild contract expires Dec. 31.
* Council approved a Washington Post bargaining team of Darlene Meyer, Fred Kunkle, Maria Glod, Mike Gronowski, Bruce Nelson, Renada Jackson, Whitney Shefte, WBNG Executive Director Cet Parks and Local Representative Rick Ehrmann. The Post contract expires June 7, 2011.
* Council approved contributions of $100 each to the Washington and Baltimore Community Service Agencies, and $100 for a special fund for a family of a union member in Roanoke.
* Council member Bill Salganik (Sun, retired) reported that theTribune bankruptcy case “may be heading for a resolution.” Salganik noted that a judge decided not to OK $20 million in bonuses to 500 top executives. Although there is still $40 million being distributed, “The $20 million the Guild led the fight to block last year is not coming back.”
* WBNG Treasurer Sheila Lindsay reported on the meeting of the local’s Communications Committee: The goal is to make the site more relevant and to develop stronger links to individual units.
* A recommendation was made to make “tweeting” a subject of collective bargaining. Council took no formal action.
* The final Executive Council meeting for 2010 was set for Dec. 9, in the Guild’s Washington office.

Sept. 30 Executive Council meeting
* Council approved sending three Guild members to the CWA Media Sector organizing conference in Cleveland in December.
* Executive Director Cet Parks reported that a tentative 18-month agreement (six months retroactive) had been reached between the Guild and the AFL-CIO.
* Council approved a collective bargaining agreement between the Guild and Local 500 SEIU.
* Council approved a wage-reopener agreement and a one-year contract extension for the American Nurses Association unit.
* Council approved a one-year contract extension at the Department for Professional Employees.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted for a commercial-employee grievance at the Washington Post.
* Council approved a UFCW bargaining committee of Brian O'Konski, Andre Roberson, Catlin Nchako, Evan Yeats, Maria Keats, Miranda Nelson, Renee Valastek, and WBNG's Cet Parks.
* Council approved an APWU bargaining committee of Tim Fitzgerald, Patricia Howard, Mary Wheeler, Kelly Whittaker, and WBNG's Cet Parks.
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann reported on informational picketing at the National Association of Social Workers headquarters and on NASW/Guild discussions of wages and grievances.
* Ehrmann reported on preparations for bargaining at the Post, where a contract expires June 7, 2011.
* Council member Bill Salganik (Sun, retired) gave an update on the Tribune bankruptcy situation.

Sept. 25 General Membership meeting
* A presentation on bankrupties in the newspaper industry was postponed.
* Executive Director Cet Parks gave an update on various situations at the Baltimore Sun. Parks' report included a summary of the Tribune bankruptcy proceedings.
* Sun activist Brent Jones announced that he was leaving the newspaper to attend graduate school, but that he would still be representing the unit as needed.

July 29 Executive Council meeting
* WBNG President Mark Pattison gave a report on the recent TNG sector conference and CWA convention. The local received a plaque at the convention for being among CWA locals that organized more than 100 workers in 2009; the only Newspaper Guild local to be commended for organizing efforts also received a $1,000 check.
* Pattison said that in addition to the “localwide” organizing award, the local’s newest unit – the National Association of Social Workers headquarters staff, formerly CWA Local 2382 – received an award from the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
* Pattison reported that the CWA convention’s only roll-call vote was on whether to switch conventions from an annual to a biennial schedule. The vote was in favor of cost-cutting: The convention will meet next year, then in 2013, and in odd-numbered years thereafter.
* WBNG Executive Director Cet Parks gave an update on negotiations for the unit at the AFL-CIO, where a contract expired March 31. Shop members “have a better understanding of what the Guild has been going through at newspapers,” Parks said, with federation management relentless in its demands for downsizing, givebacks, etc.
* Parks discussed the possibility of re-opening the collective bargaining agreement that the NASW shop – as a separate CWA local – negotiated at Washington headquarters.
* Council approved a new collective bargaining agreement at the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA).
* Local Representative Paul Reilly said that a tentative agreement had been reached on a successor contract between BNA and its two-dozen-member Correspondents unit. Members are expected to ratify the new pact early in August.
* Reilly reported that Casa de Maryland staff have settled on a pay freeze in return for a modified no-layoff clause.
* Local Representative Rick Ehrmann gave an update on bargaining at Local 500 SEIU, where a contract expired June 30.
* Council approved a bargaining committee at the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO: It consists of unit chair Adam Wright and local rep Ehrmann.
* Reilly said that effects bargaining will occur over BNA plans to close its Rockville facility and shift workers to Bethesda and Crystal City.
* Parks gave a report on the Baltimore Sun parking fees arbitration.
* Discretionary authority to arbitrate was granted in the dues-checkoff dispute at NASW.
* Council approved paying travel and expenses for one of four delegates taking part in the News Media Organizing Institute in Chicago in December. Two of the other three delegates are being funded by TNG; the fourth WBNG representative will be there on assignment for an employer.
* Council received a report on proposed changes to the annual Front Page Awards.
* Council set the next board meeting for Sept. 30, in the Washington office.

2010 Local Action

2009 Local Action

2008 Local Action

2007 Local Action