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Radio Free Asia Guild Unit -- News
July 2, 2004
BARGAINING BULLETIN #18
RFA Management Insists On Layoffs With Little Consideration For Seniority
RFA edged closer to the Guild proposal on job security in bargaining June 28th, but still insists on being able to conduct layoffs with little regard to seniority. It also continues to insist on the right to replace laid off workers with contractors. Contractors are not covered by the Guild.
The company has agreed to a Guild proposal to try to limit the number of involuntary layoffs by first seeking volunteers. Volunteers would be accepted in order of seniority and would receive severance (which has not yet been agreed to) as if they were laid off.
Other job security issues still being discussed include:
-
Layoff notice. The Guild has proposed 60 days, the company won't commit to any notice period. (When layoffs were conducted a couple years ago in the Cantonese service, employees were given no notice even though management knew months in advance).
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Bumping rights. The Guild wants a more senior employee targeted for layoff to be allowed to bump into a job he or she is qualified for if the incumbent has less seniority. The company says it doesn't want any bumping.
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Health insurance coverage for laid-off workers. We've proposed RFA provide one month of health insurance for every year of service or fraction thereof. RFA has not made a proposal.
In an effort to get talks moving more quickly (we've now completed 30 bargaining sessions), the Guild dropped its demand that health and safety issues be subject to grievance and arbitration; withdrew a proposal for employee evaluations of senior editors (we can do those ourselves); and revised a proposal on electronic monitoring.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13.
What's happening with the Cantonese Service?
Despite repeated assurances by RFA management that it wants to keep the Cantonese service, members are wondering if that's true.
At bargaining on June 28th RFA's managers said the main obstacle to filling two vacant broadcaster positions was visa problems. They assured us RFA did not intend to shift positions out of Guild jurisdiction by filling them in Hong Kong. (RFA's chief bargainer in an email later denied that RFA gave such an assurance, but all four Guild bargainers heard it).
The next day, RFA told the Cantonese service that one of the Broadcaster positions would be filled by a stringer in Hong Kong and that a Hong Kong contractor would become the acting Director of the service.
Click
here for the previous issue of Radio Free
Asia Guild Unit News
Click
here for an index of back issues of Radio
Free Asia Guild Unit News 
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