Baltimore Sun Guild Unit - March 8, 2005 Bulletin

Baltimore Sun - Guild News

March 8, 2005

It's Better For The Sun

Veterans of the newsroom who attended the recent meeting about the new zoning plans could be forgiven if they thought they were caught in some combination of a time warp and a hall of mirrors. The meeting was called to announce that the current zoning program "is not working," so changes have to be made.

From 1992 until the end of February, readers in Howard, Anne Arundel and Carroll counties got metro sections that were given the names of their respective counties and featured two or three stories from those counties on the front, along with a wealth of county news and information inside. Harford got such a section on Sunday.

Now, Tim Franklin explained to us, focus groups showed that people felt they weren't getting the "real" Sun, and that they would prefer their county news in one place, not all mixed up with the other regional news. So, instead of the zoned metro sections, the county news is now in separate sections that are inserted into the paper one, two or three times a week, depending on the county.

The feel-like-we've-been-here-before part of this is that inserting such zoned sections is exactly what The Sun was doing prior to 1992. At that time, we were told by the editors and publisher that such sections were "not working," that people in these suburban counties just did not care about city news and needed their own sections.

Known as Sunburst, this zoning plan was a huge undertaking. It required combining the staffs of the morning and Evening Sun, ending the afternoon paper's eight-decade run as in independent entity (sniff!). It upset many lives and careers. And, actually, it was never fully implemented, as original plans called for three zoned editions in Baltimore County and another in the city.

And now, 13 years later, it's like the end of an Emily Latella routine on Saturday Night Live. "Nevermind."

Don't take this the wrong way. There is nothing wrong with change. And certainly nothing wrong with recognizing that something isn't working and pulling back from it. That may or may not be the case with the current zoning scheme. I think you could make the argument that the decline in zoned-area circulation closely tracks the decline in the number of reporters in those bureaus, caused by Tribune demands for budget cuts. It has been months since the counties got zoned sports, another important part of the original Sunburst scheme (along with zoned editorials, etc.). It could be that when you give people a diminished product, fewer of them buy it.

But the point of this is not to argue the merits and demerits of these various zoning plans. It is simply to point out that this new back-to-the-future zoning scheme shows that management is not always right. Either they were wrong in 1992 when they launched Sunburst and abandoned inserted sections, or they are wrong now when they are abandoning Sunburst and going back to inserted sections.

There is no surprise in that. Everyone makes mistakes and the better people realize it, admit it, and correct themselves. But the possibility of management being mistaken is not part of the Tribune philosophy. Look at pay for performance. Look at the ethics policy. Look at the transfer language rammed down our throats in last contract. All are predicated on the premise that management always knows best. It knows what you should be paid. It knows what's ethical and what isn't. It knows what job you should have, no matter what job you are doing now.

But guess what? As we can see from this zoning about-face, management isn't always right. Hey, the Guild isn't always right, either. The point is that we would all be better off -- and we would put out a better newspaper -- if we approached these things in a collegial fashion, instead of the hierarchical manner demanded by Tribune. You get a lot more done if your supervisor is your colleague, not your boss. But it's hard to maintain that relationship when the size of your paycheck is in your supervisor's hand. Or when they are made the judge of all that is ethical and good. Or when they are given all the powers over your life that the Tribune wants to put in their hands.

As Guild members, if we stick together, we can ensure that we all have the kind of respect we deserve in the workplace. Not just because that's better for us, but because it's better for The Sun.

--Michael Hill, Guild Unit Chair

Newsroom Diversity: Lip Service or a Tribune Value?

Although Tribune touts that it ensures "that our products and employees reflect the demographics of the communities we serve", this Trib value is not reflected in The Sun's newsroom. People of color and women remain in the minority in numbers, and lag in pay as well.

Over 69% of the residents of Baltimore are "minorities", of which 65% are African-American; but to be fair, the percent of minorities in The Sun's much broader circulation area is closer to 33%.

Still, minorities represent only 16% of the company's newsroom staff, relatively stagnant over the past decade, and falling from a high of 19.6% in 1991.

And that matters.

The Sun can't fully serve its readership when its newsroom isn't closely reflective of the demographics of the community it covers. A diverse newsroom better reflects the concerns of the community, as Trib's own mission statement acknowledges. And minorities are unlikely to be promoted into key decision-making positions in news management so long as their numbers in the newsroom are so appallingly low.

Over a year ago, newsroom employees raised this issue with Sun management. A company committee was established, and discussions on the remedy began. Time passed. But changes have not materialized. It's become a rhetorical question: what does it take for the company to hire more people of color in the newsroom? What precisely is the problem? Looking simply at the Sun's numbers over the past decade, it's plainly not been a high enough priority.

Lip service on this issue just won't do. Last year, Tribune's McCormick Foundation gave a million bucks to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Parity project-an endeavor by the professional organization representing journalists of color to partner with newspapers to developing a systematic approach to increase newsroom diversity and coverage of minority issues. A lot of money, but not one Tribune paper has actually joined in the partnership to do the work that could make a big difference. A big difference to journalists of color. A big difference in the accountability of the media to the communities they purport to serve.

Next time: Are minorities and women falling behind in pay?

Meet & Greet

If you are a relatively recent hire at The Sun and have yet to speak to a Guild representative, that's about to change. The Membership Committee is updating a packet of information to welcome you, including information on health benefits, retirement benefits, contractual rights and how to contact a Guild representative when you have questions or concerns.

We'll also be approaching non-members to listen and answer questions. But whether you are a long timer or a new hire, the Guild is here for you. If you have questions about membership or want a copy of the updated packet of information, please contact Membership Chair Jonathan Bor at (410) 332-6191.

Sun/Tribune publisher donates to striking Guild members in Ohio

Sun Publisher Denise Palmer has over $260 to striking Ohio Guild members, and she is expected to donate more.

Of course, she may not have intended to be so generous. But in January, The Sun rewarded Sun employees, including nearly 600 Guild unit members, a significant reward for their "hard work, dedication and teamwork" in the past year; said Palmer, Sun/Tribune will "as a small gesture of thanks" give each worker a voucher for a free meal in the cafeteria (see the Guild's article "Please Ma'am,may I have some more?" at http://www.wbng.org/sun/Bulletins/bulletincurrent.html.)

But Sun Guild unit members felt striking workers in Youngstown deserved their solidarity and support, and donated the value of their vouchers to the cause. After all, Guild members at the Youngstown Vindicator-on strike for four months-watch scabs infect their workplace every day, just as Baltimore Sun Guild members did in spring, 2003, when Tribune decided to spend millions of dollars intimidating their unionized workers-even before they sat down at the bargaining table in "good faith".

Donations are still rolling in, and a better use for Tribune crumbs from the table cannot be imagined, since Trib did all it could to take pay away from its own workers in the past year. Sun workers interested in cashing in their company script and donating to striking newspaper workers should contact their steward. Guild members may send a check directly to the Youngstown Newspaper Guild, P.O. Box 1135, Youngstown, Ohio 44501. You can read the Valley Voice, the strike paper, at http://www.valleyvoiceonline.com/, and better yet, subscribe.

Our thanks to Sun Trib publisher Denise Palmer!

Sun Guild Unit Calendar

Sun Leadership Meeting
March 8, 2005
Noon-1:00 p.m.
Sun Cafeteria Sun

Activist Meeting (Steward & Mobilizing)
Tuesday, March 12, 2005
Noon-1:00 p.m.
Guild Baltimore Office (up the hill)
415 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202

Grievances/Issues in the Pipeline

As usual there are several grievances waiting to be heard. Some of these grievances seem unnecessary but management's pettiness sometimes just simply forces the Guild to stand up for what is right and take action.

One example of management pettiness is the Wayne Tepper termination arbitration, which is finally scheduled for two days of hearings on March 2nd and on a date to be determined in March/April.

We seldom use names when we write about individual grievances (Wayne gave us permission), but this is a classic case of how management can be unreasonable and malicious.

Wayne Tepper was a Customer Service Representative for 25 years in the Finance Department. Wayne performed his customer service job duties the same way for the past 25 years. All of a sudden management said Wayne was performing his duties incorrectly, and unjustly terminated his employment without warning.

Management gave no consideration to Wayne's length of service to the Baltimore Sun and management gave no consideration of Wayne's experience in the job. It's obvious the Tribune doesn't value longevity and experience in the workplace.

In fact, prior to the termination management never told Wayne what he was doing wrong. Why? Because Wayne did nothing wrong! Management just wanted Wayne gone.

Fortunately, they don't have the final decision. Because there is a union contract, an arbitrator will make a determination whether there was just and sufficient cause. We don't think management will meet this standard. We think Wayne will be back!

Here are some other issues: