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* Public Radio…
Organizers of a newsroom union at the Chicago Tribune have informed its publisher that colleagues have given such overwhelming formal support for their effort that the paper’s parent company should recognize the guild voluntarily and start to negotiate a contract.
The organizers gave the Tribune’s parent company, Tronc, a day to make a decision.
According to a letter from the Chicago Tribune Guild organizing committee obtained by NPR, the nascent union has received signed union authorization cards from more than 85 percent of staffers who would fall under the bargaining unit.
“Voluntary recognition would allow us to begin contract negotiations, saving the company the cost and inconvenience of a campaign and an election that will result overwhelmingly in our favor,” read the letter, sent Tuesday morning to Bruce Dold, the Tribune’s editor and publisher.
* The answer came today…
Chicago Tribune Editor-in-Chief and Publisher @BruceDold has told the @CTGuild that the newspaper WILL NOT voluntarily recognize the guild as a union. The matter will head to the National Labor Relations Board. pic.twitter.com/UckC0pPhLy
— Sam Charles (@samjcharles) April 25, 2018
* The Chicago Tribune Guild’s response…
https://t.co/OaEQajkXVn pic.twitter.com/Ru7feVgOaJ
— Chicago Tribune Guild (@CTGuild) April 25, 2018
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:24 am
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Talk about fighting a losing battle. Sorry Tronc - you’re going to lose this one…badly.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:27 am
The results at the LA Times were 248-44 (85%).
I find it hard to believe that the results at the Trib are likely to be all that different.
Other than further demonstrating that tronc’s owners are more driven by ideological non-sense than actually limiting expenses so that their papers can thrive, what do they hope to gain out of this.
Can’t wait until tronc sends out another memo to its employees saying that union elections are different than other elections and undemocratic because the union requires 50% +1 of the votes to be certified.
Comment by Juice Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:31 am
No surprise, coming from the union-hating Tribune.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:34 am
And ⁞⁞⁞tronc continues to ⁞⁞⁞tronc the Tribune, its employees and its readers.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:37 am
I see Dold is still using the double space after a period. Classic and out-dated, just like Dold.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:40 am
At the same time, when you give one day notice, think that was the predicted response.
Comment by Bogey Golfer Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:42 am
A day for Tronc to decide? Bad faith by the Guold.
Comment by Mann Horace Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:43 am
This is what happens when you layoff copy editors
Passive
Wordy
Two spaces after periods (It’s 2018 Bruce)
Questionable pronoun use (who is this ‘we’? Isn’t the “Tribune” a collective noun?)
There’s at least one missing comma.
The Guild should copy edit and send it back.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:48 am
just a delay tactic. they know the union will happen. they just won’t give permission. does not serve them well for future negotiations, but that’s their politics.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:51 am
What is wrong with requiring a vote?
Make the guild prove that a majority of its members want to join a union.
Makes perfect sense to me.
Comment by Jake From Elwood Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:52 am
“The Guild should copy edit and send it back.”
Michelle Flaherty FTW
Comment by West Sider Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:52 am
Giving ⁞⁞⁞tronc more time wouldn’t have changed their decision.
As Dold explicitly said: “We believe the best course for navigating this process is through the procedures and resources of the National Labor Relations Board.”
No point in delaying the move to the NLRB.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 11:53 am
What is this, the Chicago Sun-Times?
Comment by Cletus Purcell Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:03 pm
Honestly, the Tribune Guild members missed a golden opportunity to name themselves the “TribUnion”
Comment by No. 40892-424 Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:05 pm
He couldn’t sign it?
Comment by Not It Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:09 pm
Gov. Bruce gonna need some more Polish Beer if the Trib. goes union.
Comment by jimk849 Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:14 pm
Unions are outdated. Sure, there was a time when they were necessary. But those days are over.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:17 pm
Better be careful they don’t pull a Rickets like DNA info and just shut things down, its a dead industry, not a lot of meat left to chop up.
Comment by 44th Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:26 pm
I don’t see it as a losing battle. It’s just delaying the inevitable. And the inevitable is time spent negotiating, the cost to do that and the likely added cost whether it is wages, benefits, work rules or handling grievances. What management side wouldn’t want to put that off until they had to?
Guessing unionization in this industry is only going to hasten its decline. I feel bad for journalists as they are integral to democracy, but no one has really figured out the 21st century model yet for keeping it afloat.
Comment by Shemp Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:27 pm
“Unions are outdated. Sure, there was a time when they were necessary. But those days are over.”
Harvard Business Review: “Since the early 1970s, the hourly inflation-adjusted wages received by the typical worker have barely risen, growing only 0.2% per year.” https://hbr.org/2017/10/why-wages-arent-growing-in-america
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:47 pm
“Unions are outdated. Sure, there was a time when they were necessary. But those days are over.“
Tronc, your PR battle with the typical right-wing talking points is too little, too late. And to say that unions are outdated and unnecessary in a time with some of the worst income inequality in recent history (not to mention constant tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations) is either purposefully ignorant or the product of complete brainwashing.
Comment by Travel Guy Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:47 pm
Anon: hi bruce.
Comment by Homer J. Quinn Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:52 pm
===not a lot of meat left to chop up===
And yet there seems to be plenty of meat to pay for private jets and multi-million-dollar “consulting” contracts.
Broke on purpose.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 12:57 pm
I like the two spaces after a period
Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 1:10 pm
And what is it that Bruce Dold needs to know?
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 1:11 pm
Since I entered grade school in the late 70s, I’ve noticed pretty much nothing but union-bashing in America.
Maybe now, things are starting to change? Maybe we’ll start to see the value of unions; even to the non-unionized.
Comment by 33rd Ward Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 1:22 pm
Like Rauner, the Trib’s core value is hostility to organized labor. No surprise here at all. I wish the brothers and sisters at the Tribune strength and solidarity, they are going to need it!!!
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 1:30 pm
Tronc could’ve responded with a blank page. Seems to be all the rage these days.
Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 1:52 pm
–We do not have enough information to make a decision….–
That’s a thing now? Never before stopped the hair-burners on the tronc edit board from drawing ridiculous conclusions and yammering on about them.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 3:48 pm
In 1980 - Chicago was the dominant city for printing companies. At the time the union/ non union mix was 80/20. Guess what. Today dozens of those union printing companies are gone along with the tens of thousands of highly paid union printing employees. Today fewer then 10 percent of the industry is unionized the principal Union local 458 GCIU had to be merged into the teamsters. And the pension plan is way underfunded. Yea go vote for a Union and throw your future into doubt. It’s one thing to be in a public sector union where the employer can stick it to taxpayers to pay union increases and benefits. In the private sector if you become unprofitable you are out of work. But yea other then that looking for a union to negotiate for your future is a fine idea.
Comment by Sue Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 4:42 pm
–In 1980 - Chicago was the dominant city for printing companies. At the time the union/ non union mix was 80/20. Guess what. Today dozens of those union printing companies are gone along with the tens of thousands of highly paid union printing employees.–
I hear the buggy whip and whale oil industries aren’t doing so hot, either.
Printing? Are you serious?
I wonder if there have been any changes in communications technology and information delivery — since 1980 — that might have played a small role in the decline of the printing industry?
https://www.qualityinfo.org/-/technology-reduces-employment-in-the-printing-industry
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 4:57 pm
Bruce Dold’s legacy will soon be somewhere between the captain of the Exxon Valdez and Borris Badanov.
Comment by Trapped in the ‘burbs Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 5:16 pm
In my youth, I rode the Chicago Avenue Bus daily past a large Tribune Printing Plant with a sign on it, calling it “Freedom Center”. Outside of it, stood striking printer’s union members who wanted a fair shake from Cyrus; old scratching ground…. and they stood out there in all weather, for over a year. While the paper pretended to it’s readers to be the champion of the “working man”.
Tribune will fight this tooth and nail. I hope they lose and feel the sting. You can’t treat human capital like disposable machinery. Especially when it’s the engine of your daily product output.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 5:40 pm
Word- as usual you overlook the point. There are lots of printing Companies still in business- BUT they are all non- union
Comment by Sue Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 5:48 pm
Word- your response kind of reminds me of Obama’s Russia retort to Romney that the 80’s are calling for their foreign policy back. Like Obama you are always wrong
Comment by Sue Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 5:51 pm
The point you’re missing, Sue, is half the print jobs that existed in this country as recently as 2006 have disappeared.
The reasons why are obvious to any sentient being, but you’re yammering on about the 80s, unions and Obama, so I guess that would not include you.
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2016/12/09/americas-25-dying-industries/3/
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 25, 18 @ 6:30 pm
What is the guilds bylaws on engaging sealed court order evidence. First a lobby union now a reporter union, Illinois is growing unions
Comment by Rabid Thursday, Apr 26, 18 @ 7:49 am