Washington-Baltimore News Guild
Executive Council Meeting Minutes
Date of Meeting: March 18, 2020
EC Present: Elise Bryant, Carl Charles, Steve Cook, Lillyanne Daigle, Scott Dance, David DeJesus, Lydia Ealey, Tim Fitzgerald, Ed Fortney, Jazmin Gargoum, Joel Gratz, Don Griesheimer, Fatima Hussein, Tom Jackman, Freddy Kunkle, Marissa Lang, Tamara McCalla, Katie Mettler, Justin Moyer, Sam Nelson, Bryan Nelson, Bill O’Meara, Mark Pattison, Scott Reynolds, Michelle Wang, Evan Yeats
Excused: Mark Gruenberg
Staff & Guests: Rick Ehrmann, Eric Geist, Bruce Jett, Cet Parks, Paul Reilly, Dina Kastner (NASW)
Meeting called to order at 7:00 PM
I. Minutes
February 19, 2020
• Bill O’Meara motions to approve minutes, and motion was seconded. Motion Passes.
II. Membership Report
February 19, 2020 – March 18, 2020
• Don Griesheimer motions to approve and seconded by Ed Fortney. Motion Passes.
III. Executive Director’s Report & Staff
Cet Parks
• HPAE (Pam Ellen Grievance) – requests discretionary authority to arbitrate terminated employee. Ed Fortney motions to approve request and seconded by Mark Pattison. Motion Passes.
Rick Ehrmann
• NASW – Requests discretionary to arbitrate notification of elimination of non-elective employer contribution to 401k plan. Ed Fortney motioned to approve the requests and seconded by Elise Bryant. Dina Kastner (NASW) provided additional details on the issue. After further discussion, the Motion Passes.
Paul Reilly
• BBNA – Requests retroactive authority to arbitrate a BBNA sick leave grievance. Bill O’Meara motioned to approve and seconded by Elise Bryant. Motion Passes.
• BBNA – Requests discretionary authority to arbitrate BBNA’s failure to pay performance bonuses to employees who left BBNA between January 1 and February bonus payout. Mark Pattison motioned to approve the request, seconded by Ed Fortney. Motion Passes.
Bruce Jett
• Updates only – no action items.
Eric Geist
• Updates only – no action items.
IV. Financials
Financial Highlights for January 2020
• Cet Parks/Justin Moyer review January financials
• Ed Fortney motioned to approve January financials, and motion was seconded by Mark Pattison. Joel Gratz expressed concerns about being extra frugal over the next few months due to potential Covid-19 impact on membership (layoffs). Bryan Nelson, Bill O’Meara and Michelle Wang also spoke to the financial implications, employer exploitation and political solutions due to Covid-19 crisis.
• After further discussion, the motion to adopt January financials passes.
Annual Audit Report 2019-2018
• Cet Parks summarizes report. Jazmin Gargoum motioned to approve the auditor’s report, seconded by Don Griesheimer. Motion Passes.
Bob Paul’s Invoices for February 2020
• No action needed.
V. Old Business
Srishti Singh – Request for Appeal – ANA
• No action needed
Bylaws Committee Update
• Sam Nelson provided an overview of key proposed bylaws changes by the committee, which will be voted on at next month’s EC meeting.
VI. New Business
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
• Removed from agenda. No further action needed.
Multi-District Council Mtg in Chicago
• Event hosted in Chicago in June 2020 most likely will be postponed to a date to be determined. Elise Bryant motioned to send the President and Executive Director to this event. The motion was seconded by Bill O’ Meara. Motion Passes.
Honoring Doris Crouse-Mays
• Removed from agenda. No further action required.
VII. Good & Welfare
• Michelle Wang (RFA) discusses employer exploitation of workers during the Covid-19 crisis. Some members are given assignments beyond the scope of their job descriptions while working from home, due to lack of proper equipment. Cet Parks, Steve Cook and Michelle Wang agreed to discuss further off-line.
VIII. Personnel Caucus
• No action items.
IX. Adjournment
• Bill O’Meara motions to adjourn and seconded by Don Griesheimer. Meeting is adjourned at 8:24 PM.