Front Page, Guild Service Awards

The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild's annual Front Page Awards and Guild Service Awards ceremony was held in Washington on March 25, 2010.

The awards were for service to the Guild and for Guild-represented publications in 2009. These were the honorees:

Front Page Awards
GRAND PRIZES
Bill Pryor Memorial Grand Prize For Writing: Joe Stephens and Lena Sun (Washington Post), “Metro Safety” series
Bill Pryor Memorial Grand Prize For Photography: Mark Gail (Post), “Missing More Than a Meal”

Writing
Bernie Harrison Memorial Award for Commentary: Mark Gruenberg (At-Large Members), “Goodbye, Good Riddance”

Distinguished Feature Writing: Mark Gruenberg, “Homestead, PA.”

Morton Mintz Award for Investigative Reporting: Joe Stephens and Lena Sun (Post “Metro Safety” series)

Frank C. Porter Memorial Award for Labor and Business Reporting: Cathleen O’Connor Schoultz (BNA), “Data Security”
(Honorable mention: Michelle Amber and Sheila R. Cherry, BNA, “Carpenters Disaffiliate”)

Distinguished Non-Daily Specialized and Technical Reporting: Cathleen O’Connor Schoultz (BNA), “Difficult Employees”
(Honorable mentions: Ken Doyle, BNA, “FEC Enforcement”; Ray Lane, BNA, “Green Workplaces”

Photography
Distinguished Feature Photography: Tracy Woodward (Post),“Snow Bride”
Distinguished National News Photography: Mark Gail (body of work for the Post)
Distinguished Sports Photography: (Honorable mention: Mark Gail, body of work for the Post)

Design
John Albano Memorial Award for Design
Distinguished Web Site Design: Alexandra Goldschmidt (Change to Win)

Customer Service
Customer Service Professional of the Year: Charlotte Sherrod (Catholic News Service)


Guild Service Awards

Nadine Grinder Memorial Award for Shop Steward of the Year: Andre Roberson (United Food and Commercial Workers)
Unit Officer of the Year: Ann Kelly (AFL-CIO)
Organizers of the Year: Steve Cook and Laura Francis (BNA)
Herb Block Community Service Award: Sheila Lindsay (American Nurses Association)
"Build the Guild" Award for Bargaining Unit of the Year: Working America

Dan de Souza Memorial Award for Member of the Year: Reza Namdar (BNA)

The following is the letter submitted to nominate Reza Namdar for the Guild Service Award:

We, the members of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild Executive Council, proudly submit the name of Reza Namdar for the Charles B. Dale Guild Service Award. Reza has been unit chair for the Bureau of National Affairs unit in the Washington-Baltimore local for more than 10 years.

In the local's own Guild Service Award nominations this year, Reza was nominated for the "Unit Officer of the Year" honor. However, when his nomination was signed by 26 members -- including one NON-member and a few others who scrawled their signatures so poorly nobody can tell if they're members or not -- the Washington-Baltimore Guild officers, who have latitude in such matters, transferred Reza's nomination to the category "Member of the Year," the local's highest Guild Service honor.

Reza "always has been an activist and champion for employee rights and workplace fairness. Reza has led the BNA Unit with honor, dignity, and compassion, equaled only by his fervor for equality and fair treatment." the nomination letter said. "His open-minded approach to leadership achieves consensus-building and unites workers regardless of their professional, educational, or socioeconomic backgrounds."

The letter added, "He has been integral in negotiating other agreements with management, including securing fair treatment and due process for RiFed employees as well as those facing disciplinary action. His leadership, experience, and passion are invaluable."

Ah, but Washington-Baltimore's Guild Service Awards are ostensibly for service rendered in 2009. This doesn't take into account early 2010, when BNA was fighting for a new contract. BNA is one of a dying breed a workplaces where union employees do not pay health care premiums.

"When some cautioned against a rally on the first day of bargaining, and other officers dithered, Reza was undeterred. He said the rally must go forward, and it did -- with great success. About 100 employees rallied in front of the BNA office, giving the Guild nice momentum going into bargaining," commented Paul Reilly. the Washington-Baltimore local representative who was the lead bargainer.

"A second, bigger rally was held on the Friday before contract expiration. About 200 people showed up for that one. Remember, there are only about 290 members at BNA, 260 of them in Arlington, and on a Friday a good portion of them are off or working from home. On the penultimate day of bargaining, when just about everyone on the bargaining team was convinced there would be no wage increase in year one, Reza solely convinced the team to keep pushing for a first-year raise. Later that day, we got it -- plus a $1,000 signing bonus," Reilly continues.

"BNA started bargaining saying no pay raise in year one and minuscule pay raises in years two and three; health insurance premiums that would've cost some employees $762/month (from the current $0), high deductibles, 20 percent coinsurance, all starting in the first year," Reilly notes. "What we got was a pay raise plus bonus in year one, pay raises averaging about 3-4 percent in years two and three, no deductibles, co-insurance of 10 percent starting in year two and premiums of $0 for individual, $35 for two-person and $50 for family, starting in year three."

These are remarkable accomplishments given the current industry turmoil, not to mention that BNA is an open shop recently relocated to a right-to-work (for less) state. Reza Namdar's sense of justice and fairness, plus his pursuit of openness and inclusivity, makes him our clear choice for TNG's Guild Service Award.