AFP - Guild News

Nov. 8 , 2002

AFP Friday, November 8th, proposed a salary freeze in the first year of a two-year contract, a raise tied to the rate of inflation in the second year and a $1,000 dollar signing bonus.

The Guild has proposed five-percent increases in each year of a two-year contract, along with other wage improvements.

In addition AFP proposed reducing the 20 percent differential for out-of-town assignments to 15 percent, and eliminating the differential for coverage of the Olympic Games, the World Cup and "similar international championship events." The differential currently is paid in lieu of overtime payments.

AFP says the signing bonus would amount to about a 1.6 percent increase for top-scale journalists. The government's Consumer Price Index has increased by 2.6 percent for 2002. The bonus money would not be used in calculating shift differentials, seniority differentials or primes, and would not be factored into the second-year increase. Under the AFP proposal, if inflation were to remain at 2.6 percent, a top-scale news person would gross (excluding primes, differentials and overtime) approximately $124,172 for the two years. If he or she got a 1.6 percent increase (well below the current inflation rate) in 2003, and a 2.6 percent increase in 2004, he or she would gross $125, 142 - a difference of $970. That does not include the extra money from increased differentials, overtime and primes.

If the raises were equal to inflation (presuming 2.6 percent in 2003) the difference more than doubles to $2,202. And again, that does not include higher differentials, overtime and primes.

The Guild will present a counter to the AFP economic proposal Tuesday, November 12. All members are invited to an open bargaining committee meeting Monday, November 11, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Guild office to help craft a counter proposal. If you can't attend make your views known to bargaining committee members.

-- Rob Lever
Unit chair

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