(The following appeared on the Post Guild Facebook page.)
We’d like to update you on the status of bargaining talks since a series of Guild membership meetings nearly two weeks ago.
Since then, representatives for the Post and the Guild have agreed to talk off the record in hopes of negotiating a resolution after eight months of difficult bargaining.
In off-the-record negotiations, both sides gain more flexibility than in on-the-record talks.
In on-the-record talks, each side is obligated to hold to the terms of proposals it makes; neither side can retract an offered concession. In off-the-record discussions, however, the company or the union could suggest a concession conditioned on receiving something in return, and if a compromise isn’t possible, the party could retract its proposal.
As the phrase also implies, both sides agree to talk privately in off-the-record negotiations, without discussing the details beyond the bargaining table. The process continues until such talks either break down or reach an off-the-record tentative agreement. If such an agreement is reached, then the sides go back on the record to affirm the agreement, which still must be ratified by the membership.
Going forward, we will do our best to keep you updated whenever we can. In the meantime, we would like to thank everyone who attended the Guild’s membership meetings.