Newspaper Guild's NLRB Charge Takes On Striking Writers Guild

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003691385

By Joe Strupp

Published: January 03, 2008

NEW YORK While The Writers Guild of America continues its nationwide strike, a small group of its staff represented by the Newspaper Guild is claiming unfair labor practices and has filed a series of charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

The Newspaper Guild of New York, which represents 19 staff employees of the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), filed several unfair labor charges with the NLRB on Thursday, according to a release. This is the same guild local that represents newsroom employees at several outlets, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, and Reuters.

The charges claim the WGAE "has reneged on a ratified contract with its own staff, threatened a staff union leader and delayed holiday bonuses because its employees’ union asserted its rights."

"At the heart of the dispute is the WGAE management’s refusal to sign a contract that was ratified in October by its staff, who represent, organize and provide service and support to WGAE members, including those who are now out on strike," the Newspaper Guild release stated. "WGAE leaders do not deny that a contract has been ratified and is in place, but now contend that they did not mean to propose all of the wage increases that were contained in the contract offer that was accepted by the staff."

Added Newspaper Guild President Bill O'Meara: "It’s unbelievable that a union doesn’t understand that it can’t pick and choose the language it wants to live up to in a contract. The contract language clearly supports our position regarding money owed our members that management is now refusing to pay.”


FULL story at link.