Electronic Newsletter of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild
May-June 2001
(For a printable version of the May-June 2001 issue in Adobe PDF Format, click here)
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In This Issue:
President's
Perspective Sun's
Kawajiri and Jackson; The
Winners . . . Guild
Activists Honored For Service to Members CWA
Denies WBNG Election Challenge Calderone
Takes Charge Transitions
& Transactions Local
Motion
Both the WBNG staff and the Executive Council have been very busy over the last few months. Not that being busy is at all unusual for Local 35. Our staff work very hard every day to see that our union is aggressively representing the interests of the membership, whether it's through labor-management meetings, contract enforcement, bargaining, educational programs or many other tasks. From the bookkeeper to the office manager to the local representatives, the pace of our union is nonstop. Local Representative Lori Calderone has been promoted to Administrative Officer. Meanwhile, we are interviewing to fill her vacated rep position. In addition, WBNG is eligible to receive a grant from CWA that will fund much of another staff position: organizer. While serving from February to May as acting administrative officer, I met with many of our 21 units and experienced what the local staff experience every day of their work lives. What became abundantly clear is how difficult it is to do all that needs to be done when faced with anti-union employers -- likewise working every day -- trying to divide membership, to diminish union density in our open shops by enticing members to withdraw, and simply failing to respect the contract. One of the challenges facing the Local and Local staff is how best to educate members in understanding their basic rights as union members and in understanding their rights under their collective bargaining agreements. In addition, how do we train unit leadership and stewards to effectively represent members in the workplace, and how do we train member activists to recruit new members? When one looks at the big picture, training everyone who needs to be trained seems an almost insurmountable goal. The reality is that it is not. While it may be difficult to reach every single member, the Local can certainly play a role in reaching a core group of activists. As your union, the Local wants to better understand how we can make a connection with you and your interests. We want to see as many of our nearly 2,000 members active so that when you hear the word union, you understand what that means: Not because someone told you what it means, but because you have positively experienced it firsthand. Over the next couple of months the Local will continue to assess primary goals and to ensure that the goals are matched to what is economically feasible for the Local. This effort will be primarily through WBNG's Strategic Planning Committee, in conjunction with the Budget Committee and the Local 32035 Executive Council and staff. In addition, you will be hearing from us on proposed by-law changes. I want to personally invite our members to become active in helping the Local to reassess and plan for the future of our union. In solidarity, --
Dawn Lamar
Sun's
Kawajiri and Jackson;
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Carol Oberdorfer, winner for Non-Daily Specialized Technical Reporting |
Non-Daily Specialized Technical Reporting: Carol Oberdorfer (Bureau of National Affairs), "Professors, Journalists Find Common Ground at AAUP Conference on 'Intellectual Work' "; Honorable mentions: Margaret Miller (BNA) "Using Computer Software to Negotiate Contracts Online"; Gerald B. Silverman (BNA Correspondents) "GE Conducts Public Relations Campaign Against Dredging of PCBs in Hudson River" | |
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Feature Writing: Peter Perl (Post), "Behind the Bow Tie"; Honorable mentions: Eugene L. Meyer (Post), "A Bus Driver's Long, Painful Route"; Megan Rosenfeld (Post), "River City" Unit Communications: Kyttie Ayiku and Kathy Carroll (Bureau of National Affairs) "Behind the Dome" newsletter; Honorable mention: Bill Salganik (Sun) "Sun Unit Bulletins" Bernie Harrison Memorial Award for Commentary: Honorable mention only: Mark Gruenberg (Press Associates), "Washington Window: GOP History, Money Explain Bush Social Security Stand" Photography: Bill Pryor Memorial Grand Prize for Photography: Chiaki Kawajiri (Sun), "A Quiet Crusade" Feature Photography: Chiaki Kawajiri (Sun), "Choir"; Honorable mention: Jed Kirschbaum (Sun), "New Home" Local News Photography: Kim Hairston (Sun), "A Tiny Casualty" National News Photography: Ray Lustig (Post), "Behind Closed Doors"; Honorable mention: Lustig, "3's a Crowd" Picture Story: Chiaki Kawajiri (Sun), "A Quiet Crusade"; Honorable mention: Algerina Perna (Sun), "Memories to Spare"Portrait Photography: Amy Davis (Sun), "Miss Millie"; Honorable mention: Ray Lustig (Post), "Alan Greenspan" Sports Photography: Karl Ferron (Sun), "Soaring Under Cloudy Skies"; Honorable mention: Jed Kirschbaum (Sun), "Hasim Rahman" Design: John Albano Memorial Grand Prize for Design: Jerry Jackson (Sun), "The Preakness" Labor Promotional Campaign: Lori Richards (United Food & Commercial Workers), "Wal-Mart"; Honorable mention: Richards, "Gore-Lieberman Campaign"
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News Graphics Design: Patterson Clark (Post), "Blue Plains" News Illustration Design: Jerry Jackson (Sun), "The Preakness"
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Guild Activists Honored For Service to Members By
Mark Pattison Former Local 35 President Connie Knox was chosen as Member of the Year in the annual Guild Service Awards sponsored by the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild. Ellen Newton (UFCW) was named Shop Steward of the Year and, in two new service Awards instituted in time for this year's selection process, Myra Hatala of the Washington Post was chosen Organizer of the Year and Reza Namdar of BNA received the Unit Officer of the Year award. The Dan de Souza Member of the Year award is named for the Washington Guild's first president, who perished in a Christmas Eve car wreck in 1934 while delivering presents to striking Guild members' children in New Jersey. The award carries a $250 cash prize. "Connie has shepherded our local through rapid growth, several successful confrontations with our major employers-including her own," Mark Gruenberg wrote in nominating Knox for the top award. "And she has done so with endless patience and tact, while attending to the details of an often-thankless job of being the president." Knox, an editor at the Baltimore Sun, was WBNG's top elected officer for 12 years. "At the Executive Council and membership meetings, we see a small share of what she does. But our union has, directly or indirectly, seen and benefited from all of her activities and activism," Gruenberg said. WBNG's top steward, organizer, and unit officer during 2000 each received $150 cash prizes. In nominating Ellen Newton for the steward's award (named for the late Nadine Grinder, a tenacious Post steward), UFCW Unit Chair Iain Gold detailed instances of her service on behalf of union members at the shop and added that "under Ellen's watch, a new employee at UFCW is always greeted by a Guild member on the first day and this resulted in 100 percent sign-up of all new employees in 2000." He also cited his unit vice chair's efforts as a mobilizer. "We held successful floor meetings on each of our six floors in 2000, and had good participation in each of our quarterly unit membership meetings thanks to Ellen." |
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Noting that Myra Hatala had signed up nine non-members in her department in the first quarter of 2001, at-large member Calvin Zon nominated her for Organizer of the Year. "As a result of Myra's efforts, and the efforts of other stewards and activists in her department," Zon wrote, "Guild density in Advertising Operations exceeds 70 percent, greater than in any other department at the Post." |
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"Myra's enthusiasm for organizing, her single-minded persistence and her steadfast optimism in the face of our union's greatest challenge-organizing-is second to none." At-large member Lori Calderone, the local's new administrative officer, nominated BNA Unit Chair Reza Namdar for the Unit Officer award. During last year's contract negotiation, "Reza assured that the membership remained united over a six-month struggle," Calderone wrote. "He balanced internal communication with external exposure through rallies, a Justice Bus stopover, and preparation of a subscriber boycott endorsed by the AFL-CIO." In addition, Calderone noted, Namdar helped form a Strategic Planning committee-the only such committee in any WBNG unit-to involve members in a formal study of the company.
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CWA
Denies WBNG Election Challenge
By
Keith Barnes The parent union of The Newspaper Guild has denied an appeal of the challenge to the results of the Washington-Baltimore Guild's 2001 election. In a letter April 25-three months to the day of the vote count for the local-wide election of officers and at-large members of the Executive Council-Communications Workers of America Vice President Peter Catucci told Maggie Cohen, defeated in her bid for the WBNG vice presidency, that he had "thoroughly investigated" her charges of campaign and election irregularites and was not going to overturn the results of the balloting. Cohen, a Guild member at the Bureau of National Affairs and secretary of the WBNG Executive Council last year, could take her dispute next to the Department of Labor. |
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Maggie Cohen alleges the local's elections were flawed. |
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"The issue before me," Catucci wrote, "is whether the irregularities you have alleged concerning the election occurred ... and whether there was any effect on the outcome of the election. Absent some irregularity that had an effect on the outcome of the election, the results of the election must stand." Cohen has maintained that the election outcome isn't her main concern. "It looks to me like Catucci bypassed consideration of the way the local conducted its inquiry into my charges," Cohen said via e-mail. "In essence, he merely adopted the findings of the local." Among the allegations that Catucci refuted was that the results were invalid because the Election and Referendum Committee itself was not properly constituted. He cited longstanding practices in the Local and noted, "I find no violation of the Local Bylaws or the CWA Constitution, but even if I did, you have not shown how this issue had any effect on the outcome of the election." "I don't think he really looked at how the local arrived at the makeup of the elections committee. Our Local bylaws do not address election challenges, so I was hoping the CWA Constitution would help me regarding the failure to get a fair hearing on my whole case," Cohen said. Cohen had charged that Dick Ramsey, the WBNG administrative officer at the time of the balloting, had campaigned against her. Among her specific allegations was that Ramsey engaged in electioneering while on union time, including on the day of the vote itself. "You have not, however, submitted any evidence of improper campaigning or of improper electioneering," Catucci wrote. "Mr. Ramsey's office was at the polling place and he has denied any improper campaigning." Cohen, Catucci said, did not offer "any evidence that Ramsey was campaigning for any particular candidate while on union time...[nor that he] campaigned for or against any candidate for election. The referendum has not been challenged and has no bearing on the challenge to the election." Ramsey lost in his bid to retain his job. "Absolutely nothing has been done by the local or Catucci to actually find out what Dick's role was in the campaign," Cohen said. "His friends and those he spoke to are certainly not talking." Catucci also addressed the allegation that Ramsey had "misappropriated" the Local's membership list. "My investigation into this matter shows that Ramsey did purchase 360 mailing labels from the Local and did mail out one leaflet urging individuals to vote in his favor on the referendum." "[Catucci] didn't really deal with the issue of misappropriation of union property or the Executive Council's malfeasance in that regard. I still don't feel that anything has been done by the local or Catucci to actually find out what Dick's role was in the campaign." Catucci also wrote that he had found no violation of Local Bylaws or the CWA Constitution regarding allegations that WBNG officers impeded Cohen's access to bargaining unit work-sites and members. "Finally, you allege that you have been denied access to the ballots and eligibility list," Catucci wrote. "Even assuming that this is true, however, you have not claimed, and there is no indication, that the post-election denial had any effect on the outcome of the election." Catucci disregarded allegations that he said were not related to the election itself, including that a election-challenge "settlement agreement" had been reached between Cohen and the WBNG executive board just days after the voting, and that this settlement later was breached. In late May, while leaving open the option of approaching the Department of Labor at a later date, Cohen formally appealed Catucci's decision to CWA President Morton Bahr. She said she was continuing "in the hope that at some point my allegations of undemocratic procedures and process at the local level, as well as inappropriate participation of staff in local elections, will be addressed, acknowledged and remedied, and in the hope that this can be satisfactorily resolved in-house." In her account to the CWA president, Cohen described Catucci's handling of the appeal as "exceptionally narrow." "Although the Vice President is not required to conduct an independent or additional investigation," Cohen wrote, "he is empowered to do so." Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild President Dawn Lamar, meanwhile, was pleased with the District 2 vice president's decision. "I am confident that Pete Catucci thoroughly investigated the election protest appeal," she said in an e-mail, "and appropriately rejected the allegations raised against our union."
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| Calderone
Takes Charge
Lori Calderone became the local's Administrative Officer in May, taking the reins from WBNG President Dawn Lamar, who served as acting AO for three months. Calderone has been a WBNG local representative since November 1998. Since coming aboard, she's worked on virtually every type of collective bargaining issue and has worked with members in most of the shops, with her major focus having been BNA and the SEIU 500 unit (MCCSSE).
AFL-CIO: The newest members at the House of Labor are Maura Siobhan McCann, Michael Mulcahy, Blake Patterson, Scott N,. Paul, Edward Serrano Jr., Lorenzo A. Scott Jr., and David J. Socolow. Agence France-Presse: Editor Eva-Lotta Jansson in AFP's Multimedia Department adds to the unit's bargaining strength. Thanks for joining up! American Nurses Association: New members keep joining up at one of the Guild's newest units. The recent most recent sign-ups: Han Calamug, Christy Carmody, David Felzenberg, Amanda Gayle, Ronald M. Harleman, Theodore C. Hunt, Donna Kennedy, Guy Philbin, Cynthia Price, Sokhama Say, Valarie Tate, Ronald Taylor, Stefania Y. Vincent, and Hope-Maud Walker. Baltimore Sun: New members at the Charm City unit include Mario Arevalo Jr., Gregory K. Crouse, Vonzella V. Faison, Andrew A. Green, Andrew R. Ratner, Charles E. Russell, and Kimberly A.C. Wilson. Association of Flight Attendants: We have liftoff for more than two dozen new members in Local 32035: Pat Applewhite, Laurie Sue Borman, Kimberly Chaput, Angela D. Davis, Theresa M. Delorto, Ben C. Elliott, Anita G. Epps, Bridgette Ferrell, Roberta L. Francis, Robert A. Hochberger, Roxanne S. Hodge, Charlotte S. Jenkins, Fern E. Johnson, Suzanne S. Kirkpatrick, Barbara Liggins, Kimberly T. Lyles, Theresa O. McGlauflin, Jane R. McGregor, K.E. Rafferty, Annie K. Sanner, Irell Thompson, Tanya Wallace-Hargro, Deborah L. Wilk, and Paula V. Willems. Welcome aboard! At-Large Units 'Unit': Michael Buckley, communications coordinator for the Transportation Trades Department, is a new "at-large" member. Though not covered by a WBNG pact, he joins about 65 other at-large members and about 200 members at WBNG's 12 "small" shops (those with fewer than 50 Guild members) in the WBNG At-Large "unit." Bureau of National Affairs: Special mention must be made here of BNA shop steward Brian Carr, who defended the virtue of another passenger on a MARC commuter train after said passenger was being shouted at by an irate cell-phone user she had tried to shush. Turns out the shusher is also a Guild activist! The loud and boorish cell-phone yakker must have been management ... New members at BNA include Bertha Bligen, Charles W. Carpenter, Judith C. Crain, Leora Gardner, Cheryl Grove, Mark P. Hobson, Cerita Holland, Dana Hungerford, Terri Kuster, Betsy Lindeman, Gerald H. Parhsall Jr., Vicki Peterson, Lynda Marie Rockey, Farro T. Rogers, and Cathleen O. Schoultz. Catholic News Service: We can't recall this happening in our local since the departure of 1980s-era administrative officer Dorothy Strzynski, but assistant international editor Jennifer Reed left work in April to enter the convent-the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Indiana, to be precise. We wish her well in her new calling ... Replacing Jennifer on the international desk is Steve Steele. Also joining the union is Mary Knight, an associate in News Photo. Fingerhut, Powers, Smith and Associates: Graphic Designer Elizabeth Ellen and Michael J. Palamuso, a staff associate, are the Guild's newest members at FPSA. Thanks for joining! Kamber Group: Computer Specialist George Harrison III and Justine Walden, a senior designer in the art department, are Kamber's newest workers to join WBNG. Glad to have the both of you! United Food and Commercial Workers: Four new members have signed up with the Guild since last we wrote: Susan Cameron, a project training coordinator in the Occupational Safety and Health Department; Rosa S. Haynes, a secretary for the Field Services division; Benefits Office Secretary Sabrina Hill; and industrial engineer Sharon Page. Union yes! Washington Post: The influx of new members continues seemingly unabated at the Post. The latest joiners are Germaine Cloninger, Allen G. Cote, Elizabeth Crain, Christiana Floyd, Pershow Hargett, Gordon E. Hoeft Jr., Heather M. Holland, Aleta K. Hordge, Christopher D. Jenkins, Kynan Kelly, Ann M. Kiles, Madonna Lebling, Chang J. Lee, Kathleen R. Murphy, James V. Nelson, Amelita P. Quinto, Laurie Rapp, Alexandra Silva, Christopher Stern, Matthew Vorse, Stacey K. Werbiskis, James L. Wright Jr., and A. Tiffany Yancey. Working for America Institute: New members at WAI include Tommy Burress and Alex Meiklejohn. Roll the union on! To
have your news notes included in the next Guild Forum,
contact Mark Pattison at
-- Mark Pattison
EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL WBNG President Dawn Rodriguez-Lamar, serving as acting administrative officer, reported that she is dealing with office and staffing issues, as well as external organizing ... Local Representative Lori Calderone reported on negotiations at the American Postal Workers Union headquarters, where about 20 staffers are trying to win their first Guild contract ... Calderone reported that UFCW Guild members have already begun preparations for bargaining a contract covering about 80 workers that expires Dec. 31; an orientation to the bargaining process focused on pension, health, and education benefits was held Feb. 28 ... Local Representative Rick Ehrmann reported that he has been bargaining with the eight-member National Coalition for the Homeless unit looking to gain its first WBNG agreement ... Council approved the establishment of a Budget Committee comprising Lamar, Calderone, Mark Gruenberg (At-Large Units unit), Vernon Henery (Post), Ken May (BNA), Darlene Meyer (Post), Carol Oberdorfer (BNA), Cet Parks (Local Representative), and Bill Salganik (Sun) ... Council approved sending one member to the District Council meeting in West Virginia on April 10 ... Council approved sending 10 delegates to the Newspaper Guild Sector Conference and five of those 10 WBNG members to the Communications Workers of America convention in Minneapolis in early July. GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP & EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America Secretary-Treasurer Bernie Lunzer gave a presentation on the issues to be put before Guild members at the TNG sector conference and CWA convention in Minneapolis in early July ... Maggie Cohen (Bureau of National Affairs), who hoped to speak to members about her localwide election results appeal, called for a quorum; after a count of members present revealed there weren't enough for a quorum, the Executive Council met in emergency session and decided to reschedule the meeting for a later date, at which time nominations for delegates to the two conventions would be made.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL The Executive Council approved April 6 board poll to approve recommendation of search committee to hire Lori Calderone as administrative officer ... Council approved board polls of March 27 that sanctioned the rescheduling of General Membership meeting to March 31 and a special membership meeting April 17, the latter meeting to coincide with the board meeting and to be held for the sole purpose of nominating convention delegates ... Local Representative Rick Ehrmann reported that an early-retirement agreement had been negotiated for four "composing room assistants" at the Post; the four are custodians, the only four Guild members at the newspaper who do not work in either the newsroom or on the commercial side; the four workers received $46,000 to $66,000 rolled over into their 401(k) accounts and will get full pensions immediately ... Ehrmann gave update on Post's continuing challenge to Guild members' use of e-mail; the Post took the matter to arbitration and the Guild filed an unfair labor practice charge ... Discretionary authority to arbitrate granted in the Meany Center "management" vs. "Guild" grievance and failure to post job opening grievances; in the Sun punitive transfer case; and in the Sun ban on freelancing without prior approval case (pegged to management's "any Internet media outlet is a competitor" definition); Council voted to file unfair labor practice charge if Sun chooses to impose unilateral electronic media policy ... Council received update on January election-results protest; Maggie Cohen's appeal is in the hands of CWA District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci; he is to rule on the protest by May 4 ... Council moved to send five delegates to Newspaper Guild Tri-Council meeting in Memphis ... Council approved continuing Web-site contract for one more month ... Council voted to constitute a new Elections and Referendum Committee comprising Mark Gruenberg (At-Large Units unit), David Schwartz (BNA), Bette Cooper (At-Large Units unit) and David Robie (Post) ... Council approved establishment of Bylaws Committee to rewrite WBNG bylaws to conform with TNG and CWA standards; committee composed of Gruenberg, Mark Pattison (CNS), Michael Szpak and Dawn Lamar (AFL-CIO), Candus Thomson (Sun), Lori Calderone and Cet Parks (local representatives), and Ken May (BNA). GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP Members met for the sole purpose of nominating delegates to The Newspaper Guild Sector Conference and the CWA Convention in Minneapolis in July; membership approved sending 10 delegates to the sector conference and the five top vote-getters among those 10 to the CWA convention; there were 14 nominees, all of whom were to receive a letter with an acceptance deadline of April 25; nominees were BNA members Michelle Amber, Tony Baxter, Katherine Harris, Gwen Holmes, Carol Oberdorfer, and John Small; Sun members Connie Knox and Angie Kuhl; Post members Darlene Meyer and Rick Weiss; AFL-CIO members Dawn Lamar and Doris Crouse-Mays; Mark Pattison (Catholic News Service); and Lori Calderone (Local Representative).
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Marketing
and Promotion Design: Will Coyle, Lauren Gleason, Jennifer Jones,
and Lisa Wells (Kamber Group), "Mandalay Bay"
