Jodi Green Elected IAPE President, Members Approve Elimination of Dues Cap

The IAPE Elections Committee has been informed by the American Arbitration Association that a majority of eligible voters have voted to elect Jodi Green as President of the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE), Local 1096 of The NewsGuild-CWA.

Ms. Green received a total of 236 votes, compared with 155 for Stephen Nakrosis. The IAPE Elections Committee declares Jodi Green elected President for the term of office beginning Dec. 1, 2020 and concluding on Nov. 30, 2023.

The Elections Committee has been informed that the proposal to eliminate the Union dues cap has been approved by IAPE members by a count of 259 to 142.

407 of 1,302 eligible members returned ballots before the election deadline, for a 31.3% participation rate. 391 members cast votes for the position of President, while 401 members voted on the dues cap referendum. One envelope was set aside and not counted because the envelope contained no identification to check eligibility. One envelope was voided because AAA received two ballots from the same voter.

Consistent with the constitution of the Communications Workers of America, these tentative results shall be declared “final” unless a challenge is received within ten (10) days. Challenges must be filed in writing with the IAPE Elections Committee by 5:00 p.m. EST, Nov. 15, 2020.

Candidate Post: Only A Few Days Left To Vote - Jodi Green

Hello fellow IAPE members,

This post is not about me and why I should be your next President (although, of course, I believe that I should).  This is just a reminder to get your IAPE ballots in the mail ASAP, if you have not already done so.  Supposedly there’s another election going on at the same time as ours, so there’s some significant slow-down in the processing of mail.  While I believe that the IAPE ballots should take priority, the post offices might not see it the same way.  (Hope that at least got a small giggle out of some of you).  In all seriousness, though, as of 10/28, there is exactly one week for ballots to be returned to the offices of AAA.  And don’t forget, they need to arrive at AAA by 5:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 4, 2020.  

Whether you vote for me or Steve, it’s really important that you vote.  You are all members of IAPE and therefore should all have a voice in who becomes your President for the next 3 years.  If we’re going to present a show of force to the company, we should show them right now that our members are engaged and present.  

Let’s get LOUD!

Jodi

Candidate Post: Cast Your Vote and Stay Involved! - Stephen Nakrosis

To the members of IAPE 1096:

Our union needs your vote! IAPE 1096 elections are now under way. Please complete your ballot and submit prior to the November 4 deadline. 

Naturally, I hope you vote for me, Stephen Nakrosis, as president of IAPE 1096. More important, though, I hope you take the time to vote. Here’s why:

Our union representatives are currently negotiating with Dow Jones over issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, including reimbursements for home office and exercise equipment. If we can demonstrate our support for the union with a large turnout of voters, we can help to make their job easier.

And after the election, our union will still need you. We will need volunteers to work as stewards, to serve on committees and to get the word out that in this post-Covid world, IAPE is there to serve and advocate for our members.

 Together, we can continue to work for a better workplace, for better wages and for better benefits.

Together, we can send the message that IAPE is there for every member.

Together, we remain strong, organized and united as we move forward to face the challenges ahead of us.

Covid is challenging us all. Our printers face challenges. Our sales force faces challenges. Our newsroom faces challenges, along with our technicians and administrative staff.

All of IAPE is challenged by the changes to our work and to our lives brought about by this continuing pandemic.

I’ve worked with our union for a long time. I’ve seen it change over the years, responding to new challenges and new realities. We have persisted and remained strong as a union. We have endured through the changes brought about by evolving technology, cataclysmic world events, economic uncertainty, and now the advent of COVID-19.

If I become your president I will work, as I have worked in the past, to help our members rise up and meet the challenges facing us today, and those unanticipated challenges that will no doubt occur in the future.

I have faith that IAPE and our members will overcome any obstacle put before us and emerge better and stronger than before.

Once again, I ask that you please vote for me, Stephen Nakrosis, as president of IAPE.

Candidate Post: Only 2 weeks left - not really! - Jodi Green

Hello fellow IAPE members,

I can’t believe that there are only 2 weeks left in this election.  Actually, less than 2 weeks, as ballots need to be mailed as soon as possible to ensure they arrive to AAA by November 4 at 5:00 PM EDT.  

I hope that through my blog posts, my meet and greets and the debate, that you all have some idea of who I am and where I would like to see IAPE evolve over the next 3 years.

This is going to be an ongoing continuing education not just for me, but the rest of our officers as well.  This would be the case for anyone new to a position.  I plan to take advantage of everything that is available to me: Labor notes, Guild officer training and CWA training programs.  

As you all prepare to choose the candidate of your choice for President, there is one thing that I would like to talk about.  I’ve written before that I know a lot of the members in the Princeton office, since that is where I have been the Location Director.  I did go to the 1211 New York office right before COVID restricted interoffice visits to meet as many of our members there that I could.  But, because I’m a part of Data Strategy and not the newsroom, I recognize that there newsroom employees around the country that may still not be familiar with who I am, other than a name on the ballot you’ve received.  I have tried to remedy that as much as I can by writing my blog posts and holding my meet and greets. 

I have realized that if I want you, our reporters, to get to know me, I should get to know you as well.  Due to restrictions on my access to email addresses, I cannot reach out individually.  What I’ve started doing instead, is to follow as many of you as I can on Twitter.  I want to get to know your work and what you do.  I want to be able to recognize your names when I hear them.  And as I mentioned in the debate and meet and greets, if I win, I will want to hold small group meetings to get to know all of our members.  

As I have also said multiple times, once our offices reach Phase 3 and beyond, I will visit all of them to meet as many members in person as possible.  I know there are members of IAPE out there that still don’t have a clear understanding of what it means to be a part of a labor union.  And what it would mean to not be part of one.  It is my hope that as more and more of you become familiar with my name and who I am, you will be willing to listen to my thoughts, ideas and we can have some productive conversations.

Here’s my call to action (besides getting LOUD!):  Vote for me, Jodi Green, for our next IAPE President.  Tell your coworkers and friends.  And make sure to send in your ballots ASAP!

Thank you!

Jodi

Candidate Post: Thank you so much for attending the debate! - Jodi Green

Hello fellow IAPE members,

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for attending the debate between Steve and I.  As promised, there was no bad behavior. Haha!  Seriously, though, I thought the questions asked were thoughtful, insightful and challenging.  I hope my answers came across as clear and just as thoughtful and insightful.  I am quite aware that there will be a lot of continuing education should I take on the role of President and I plan to take advantage of all that is available to me, including CWA training programs and Guild Officer training.

For anyone that was unable to attend the debate, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you would like answered.  I can be reached at my old school email address: jodisgreen@aol.com or through this website.  

Please don’t forget to fill out your ballot (voting for Jodi Green, of course) and mail it back as soon as possible.  You want to make sure that the mail is not delayed and that your ballot will be returned in time (no later than November 4 (a little less than 3 weeks away!).  

And if you’d like to take a picture when you mail your ballot, feel free to send it to me and I’ll post it here in the blog.  

Let’s get LOUD!!!!

Candidate Post: Debate - Thursday, Oct 14, 2020 - Jodi Green

Hello fellow IAPE members,

Every day I seem to sit down to write up a blog post and then get pulled away for one reason or another.  I am happy to report that my second and third zoom meetings went much better than the first one!  My opponent, Steve and I also held a joint meeting on Friday, which I thought was quite successful.  I am very much looking forward to the debate we will be holding tomorrow.  I can promise it will be nothing like the national Presidential debate. I’m excited to meet more of our members and to have a chance to further elaborate on my vision for the future of our union.

One of the questions that I was asked multiple times is what kind of plan do I have to mobilize IAPE when we are all working from home and can’t show support wearing our t-shirts, showing up at the coffee bar with our mugs, etc.  It’s true that being all virtual presents a challenge to the typical ways we have always shown support.  But at Dow Jones, we are nothing if not innovative.  Last year during bargaining, a large amount of members changed their avatars from their pictures to a picture of the Quality News Deserves a Quality Contract.  Changing our avatar to reflect whatever the union is organizing around is still one thing we can do.  When we are in meeting, especially town halls and large department or company meetings, seeing a sea of IAPE avatars is definitely a show of support.  We could still wear our t-shirts on Tuesdays and make sure our cameras are on for any meetings we attend.  We can have letter writing campaigns.  If any of you have had meetings with our current (and future) Princeton Location Director, Tricia Corley, you have seen her “fake” cublicle wall that she has built behind her desk.  She has decorated it for Halloween.  There’s no reason we can’t all be creative and create our own “IAPE backdrops” that will get seen in every meeting we attend.  My opponent had some good ideas as well, which I would definitely implement if you elect me as President.  In fact, I would like to hope that Steve and I will work closely together no matter who wins, as we both have the same desire for our Union.  To make it as strong and LOUD as it can be (kudos to Steve for borrowing my slogan in our joint meeting!).  

Also, as you can see by the emails being sent out by IAPE, negotiations do not take place only during a new contract year.  2020 has been a bizarre and very difficult year.  The company cannot ignore the needs of our members.  The issues we are fighting for are going to go on for as long as this “new normal” continues.  I am sure the longer we’re all working from home, more and more challenges will come up as well.  As part of the current board, I am currently a part of identifying these issues and approaching the company about them.  As your President, I will continue to do so, taking the torch from our current President and carrying it forward.

By now, you should have all received your ballot in the mail.  Like I wrote in my previous blog post, I would highly suggest filling it out as soon as possible and putting it right back in the mail.  That way you don’t forget about it and you can be sure that it gets back to AAA in time for it to count.  With the problems happening in the post office and with hundreds of thousands of people sending in their national Presidential ballots via USPS, the sooner you mail your IAPE ballot, the better.

Looks like I made up for my delay in blog posts by posting a long one.  Hope to see you all at the debate!

Jodi

Candidate Post: Vote and be Heard - Stephen Nakrosis

I’m writing today as a candidate for the presidency of IAPE 1096, but also as a member who wants our union to remain strong, vital and visible.

I’m asking all our members to please take the time to vote in our union election.

Right now, our union is negotiating with Dow Jones for more and better benefits as we continue to work through the Covid-19 pandemic. A robust voter turnout would send a strong message to the company and be of great help to our negotiating team.

Your vote represents a loud, strong, visible show of support. We know the company will look at the election results, calculate how many members bothered to vote, and use that number as an indicator of IAPE’s strength. I say we give them a large number to work with.

The strength of any union comes from the commitment of its membership and members’ willingness to mobilize, to participate and to stand up for each other.

By now, you should have received a ballot in the mail, asking you to vote for IAPE president. That vote is your voice. When you vote, you are telling your co-workers and your company that you stand with the union and are willing to work for a better workplace, with better conditions, better benefits and better wages.

There are some who would rather not be in the union and even some who might resent being required to join. Perhaps you feel you don’t need the union, but the union needs you. When you stand with the union you stand side-by-side with your friends and co-workers in support of them.

Vote to support IAPE’s efforts for a better workplace.

Vote to support your co-workers and your friends.

Vote, and let your voice be heard.

Vote for Stephen Nakrosis as president of IAPE 1096.

Feel free to reach out with comments, questions or concerns at votesteveiape@gmail.com

Candidate Post: Questions with the Candidates - Jodi Green and Stephen Nakrosis

To the members of IAPE 1096:

Please join us, IAPE 1096 presidential candidates Jodi Green and Stephen Nakrosis for a Q&A session (via Zoom) on Friday, October 9 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. ET.

Questions can be submitted in advance to votesteveiape@gmail.com. Time permitting, we’ll also be taking questions from the audience.

We look forward to speaking with you all.

Link to the meeting at:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77564135716?pwd=OUxBM2ZrTzg5N1IwU1l4UXFpd1QvQT09
Meeting ID: 775 6413 5716
Passcode: 4qnRyy

Candidate Post: Mobilizing In An Uncertain Future - Stephen Nakrosis

The strength of our union lies in the solidarity of our membership. The union’s leadership must be able to motivate our members to step up and work to advance our shared interests. The health and longevity of IAPE 1096 depends on it.

The ongoing pandemic has made it much harder to generate interest and response from our members. When we worked together in our offices, union stewards and officers could speak to members personally, pass out materials and keep people informed and involved.

But those days are behind us. We can no longer rely on the old methods to organize and mobilize. Since the pandemic, it has become harder and harder to find members willing to serve. Witness this latest election – our union was unable to find anyone willing to step up and serve as Canada or Midwest location directors; or as classification directors for technology or administrative/advertising.

As we look to the future, we have to discover new and better ways to generate interest in the activities of IAPE. We can no longer simply rely on mass emails asking members to volunteer. Rather, leadership must reach out directly to our members, wherever they are, and personally invite them to serve.

If I am fortunate enough to be elected president of IAPE, I intend to contact every member of the union individually and listen to what they have to say. I want to hear their concerns, problems and questions. I intend to maintain an open door policy and listen to any member willing to speak with me. As I wrote in an earlier post, it won’t be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight. But it is important that all members of the union know they have the president’s ear when they need it.

Our union can always use more volunteers to serve as stewards, to work on committees and to remind members that IAPE is there for them. I’ll take the time to personally discuss with any member how you can best help IAPE as we continue to fight for better wages and a better workplace.

Everyone will be invited to serve. There will be no factions, there will be no favoritism, there will only be workers moving forward in unison to further the union cause.

I want to see new and better communications between leadership and members. Each worker should have a dedicated member of a communications team and be able to reach out to them with questions, ideas or problems. This communications team member would also communicate directly with the member to pass along information from our leadership.

With so many working from home, with our office lives uprooted, it only makes sense to expand our communications activities to be sure we are reaching all our members wherever they may be.

I also plan to communicate closely with the company’s inclusive resource groups so we can work together to address the concerns of members. As I said before, whenever a member expresses a concern or brings up a problem in any forum, our leaders need to hear and respond to it. Sometimes the union may take the lead, sometimes we may work in support, but we will always work together.

Once again, I ask that you please cast your vote for me, Stephen Nakrosis, as president of IAPE.

Feel free to contact me at votesteveiape@gmail.com.

Candidates For IAPE President to Debate on Oct. 15

The IAPE Elections Committee is holding a debate next week between the two candidates running to serve as our next union president. The debate between Jodi Green, Content Ops Specialist in Princeton, and Stephen Nakrosis, Rewrite Editor in New York, on Thursday, October 15 at 2 p.m. ET via Zoom.

Candidates will answer candid questions from the committee during the first 15 minutes of the debate and the following 20 minutes will be open to members to ask questions. Members who aren’t able to attend can submit questions for the candidates to the Elections Committee. 

Before the debate, you can learn more about the candidates by going to the IAPE website and clicking “Elections Updates” to read the blog posts they’ve written about why they are running for union president. 

The election will be conducted by the American Arbitration Association via paper ballot sent through mail to members’ home addresses starting Monday, Oct. 5. Ballots will be due back to AAA’s headquarters in New York by 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 4.  (Members will receive one ballot to vote for president and to cast their “yes/no” vote for the Dues Referendum). 

If you have any questions about the election for IAPE president, please reach out to the Elections Committee (elections@iape1096.org).

In solidarity,

The IAPE Elections Committee
Kimberly Chin (Chair), Jonathan Randles & Haley Velasco

Members can register for the debate on the IAPE events page. This event will take place over Zoom and meeting information will be emailed to registered attendees via calendar invite the day before the event. Registration will remain open until the debate starts at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday October 15.

Candidate Post: First Zoom Meeting Failure - Jodi Green

Hello Fellow IAPE Members,

I profusely apologize for the hacking of my first zoom meeting.  It was beyond horrifying, offensive, and disgusting.  Every time I thought I had kicked the hacker out, another one came up.  I have heard of this happening in Zoom meetings before, but I, myself, had never experienced it.  And believe me, it’s not something I ever want to experience again. 

For that reason, my remaining two zoom meetings will have waiting rooms, so I can check the validity of every person that wants to join against Workday to ensure that they are, in fact, Dow Jones employees.  Again, I am so very sorry for any trauma this may have caused you and I truly hope that you will join me at one of the next two meetings.  

If you don’t feel comfortable joining a Zoom meeting again, please feel free to email me with any questions you have for me and I will get back to you ASAP with a response.  You can email me at jodisgreen@aol.com.  You can also contact me through my website at VoteforJodi.com.

Deep breaths!

Jodi

Candidate Post: What's Coming Next? - Stephen Nakrosis

To the members of IAPE 1096:

Our union election comes at a time of tremendous and perhaps permanent transition in our industry and in our workplaces. We all heard a few days ago from the management of Dow Jones that our company’s workers in the U.S. and Canada won’t be returning to our offices until sometime next year. When we do return, the offices will be changed spaces, with limited capacity and new safety procedures in place.

Even after the offices open, many employees will still continue to work remotely.

Even now, our union is meeting with company representatives to discuss the problems and realities of work from home. 

It’s doubtful our working lives will ever return to the way they were pre-pandemic. As offices close and employees continue their remote work lives, the union must deal with the new challenges these changes will bring. These include the possibility of furloughs; the emergence of a new work dynamic which sees employees dispersed; and a new work environment that must be designed to ensure the safety and health of all.

Our leadership will need to reach out to members and meet them wherever they are. IAPE’s next president will have to put forth a great effort to ensure that every member’s voice is heard and that each concern is addressed.

Our next president, whether it be myself or my opponent, will have a short learning curve when dealing with these new realities. For this reason, I believe my 25 years at Dow Jones and my 12-plus years serving the union as a union steward and officer will be definite strengths.

I have seen Dow Jones change greatly over the past 25 years. I was able to help our members deal with changes in the past. I’m prepared to continue serving IAPE as we enter this strange new world together.

Once again, I ask for you to please vote for me as the next president of IAPE.

Feel free to get in touch with comments or questions at votesteveiape@gmail.com

Candidate Post: Zoom Meetings Start Next Week! - Jodi Green

Hello fellow IAPE members,

Due to COVID, I am unable to visit the different offices, as I had originally planned.  Therefore, I will be holding a zoom call for each time zone (Eastern, Central and West, as I can only hold these meetings during lunchtime), which I invite you all to.  Come chat with me and ask questions or just get to know me.

Here is a reminder of my upcoming events.  Feel free to email me in advance any questions you'd like for me to answer (jodisgreen@aol.com)


Topic: Get to Know Jodi Green (East Coast)
Time: Oct 6, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/74720193610?pwd=bmFMNDhDaXhpNnBHRUtnQnV1VXByUT09

Meeting ID: 747 2019 3610
Passcode: H6k0Rg
Email: jodisgreen@aol.com
 

Topic: Get to Know Jodi Green (Central Time Offices)
Time: Oct 8, 2020 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79315414435?pwd=WW15UXo1VFd1RTNzb1NVQjlwbVkxZz09

Meeting ID: 793 1541 4435
Passcode: FS8Dd3
Email: jodisgreen@aol.com


Topic: Get to Know Jodi Green (West Coast Offices)
Time: Oct 13, 2020 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71454983377?pwd=VHdtNU1oQ0N5QUpKOXoveVBBcEhaZz09

Meeting ID: 714 5498 3377
Passcode: Bk758HEmail: jodisgreen@aol.com

Looking forward to seeing all of you!

Jodi

Candidate Post: Some Years Ago...or Why The Union Is Important, Part II - Steve Nakrosis

It’s important for the members of our union to know why I made the decision to run for president of IAPE. 

In my opinion, a strong union exists to protect the interests of all employees, to make the company stronger and to create a better place to work. During my years with Dow Jones and my 12-plus years a union steward and officer, I have seen many examples of the good things our union can do. 

Some years ago, a co-worker and union member fell afoul of their manager. I don’t know why they had a falling out, nor whether the reasons were personal of professional.

What I do know is our member was singled out and forced to endure a series of unnecessary and humiliating meetings with management. I participated in many of these sessions as union steward and representative, and heard our member chided for such infractions as using too many commas in a sentence or putting a colon where a semi-colon would have been more appropriate.

These meetings were becoming weekly occurrences. Other managers couldn’t or wouldn’t intervene to help our member. But the union was there to lend its support during these times.

In the end, our union was able to negotiate an exit package and our member went on to better things. But without the union, this member could have been kicked to the curb, or given two-weeks’ severance and shown the door.

IAPE was there to stand with this worker, and we are there to stand with every member. I’m proud that I was able, in some small way, to assist our member through these trying times. I want to continue to stand with our membership and serve the workers who make up IAPE 1096.

The union makes all our lives better.

I ask again that you please vote for me, Stephen Nakrosis, to serve as our union president.

Reach out with questions, comments or suggestions to votesteveiape@gmail.com.

Candidate Post: Diversity within Dow Jones and IAPE - Jodi Green

Hello fellow IAPE members!

Since I talked in my last post about Diversity of departments within the officers and board of IAPE, I thought it a good idea to talk a little about diversity in general.  Especially because it’s on the forefront of most people’s minds these days.  I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know I had hoped that the current events happening in our country and around the world would start to finally change things and progress.  Of course, that’s not to say that it hasn’t or won’t, but it seems like any change is moving at the pace of a snail.  

Our country is the epitome of diversity.  Dow Jones needs to address all diversity issues and come up with plans to fix the problems present within the company.  I feel it’s up to IAPE to hold the company to the promises that they make to their employees regarding an equal workplace.  Did you all know that we already have a Diversity Committee in place?  Now, more than ever before, that committee is of the utmost importance.  Under my leadership, I would like that committee to grow and expand.  I would like those that place diversity at the top of their list of concerns to join that committee.  I want that committee to become a LOUD voice that works with the company but also pushes the leadership of Dow Jones to not just listen to the concerns of its employees, but to make solid plans so that all employees feel like they are being treated equally, paid equally and being respected as the individuals they are.

Feel free to reach out to me either through this my website, VoteforJodi.com and clicking on the Contact button, through email at jodisgreen@aol.com, by giving me a call at 973-760-5860 or attending one of my zoom sessions, which you can find under the Events tab on the website.

Let’s get LOUD!

Jodi

Candidate Post: Officer Positions and Diversity—Jodi Green

Hi everyone!

So, we know the rest of the officers already before the ballots have even gone out.  Congratulations to Ellie Miller, who is our Vice-President, Austen Hufford, who is our Treasurer and Brent Kendall, who is our Secretary!  I hope to be joining them as your President!  I also hope that some of the open Location Director and Classification positions will be filled by people as excited as I was to become an active member of the IAPE board.

Since all other officers have been elected by acclamation, the only position that you will need to vote on will be for President.  As I had mentioned, there are a few different reasons for why I’m running for President.  One of them is because I like the idea of diversity on our board.  All of the officers already elected are reporters or editors in the newsroom.  Which is good because our largest populated title is Reporter.  However, the newsroom and its employees are not the biggest part of IAPE.  A large part of our membership are not involved in the newsroom at all.  These employees are in other departments, such as Customer Service, Finance, IT, Print Production, Sales, and Data Strategy to name a few.  And they need to be represented equally on the board.  Being a part of Data Strategy and working in the Princeton office, I have gotten to know a lot of people from all of those different departments.  We need as many diverse voices amongst the officers and board.  As our newly elected officers are all newsroom, I will bring that diversity that is so important.

Jodi

Candidate Post: Questions with the Candidate—Stephen Nakrosis

To the members of IAPE 1096:

Please join me, IAPE 1096 presidential candidate Stephen Nakrosis, for a Q&A session (via
Zoom) on Friday, October 9 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. ET.

Questions can be submitted in advance to votesteveiape@gmail.com. Time permitting, I’ll also
be taking questions from the audience.

I look forward to speaking with you all.

Link to the meeting at:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77564135716?pwd=OUxBM2ZrTzg5N1IwU1l4UXFpd1QvQT09
Meeting ID: 775 6413 5716
Passcode: 4qnRyy

Candidate Post: Why the Union is Important—Stephen Nakrosis

To the members of IAPE 1096:

I’m asking for your vote as union president. I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those who don’t know me and discuss how I see the role of the union president.

Before arriving at Dow Jones a quarter century ago, I had worked as a professional journalist for eight years. My first job was with a weekly newspaper in Bergen County, New Jersey, and I eventually became the managing editor of my hometown newspaper in Kearny for three years.

I went overseas in 1993 to help establish an English-language newspaper in the newly independent Baltic States. On my return to America, I was hired by Dow Jones in 1995 and began my career with the company working on the Dow Jones Emerging Markets newswire.

When I started with the company, our Harborside office wasn’t covered under the union contract. It wasn’t until 2008 that the site’s workforce became unionized, thanks to the hard work and dedication of IAPE’s members. At the time, I joined as a steward. In the years since I’ve served our union in many capacities. I was a member of the executive committee, union secretary and a member of several committees, including head of the finance committee. I was twice a representative to our union’s national convention and represented IAPE at other, regional meetings as well as in contract talks.

In 2017, I stepped away from the board to concentrate on my PhD studies, but was still able to serve as chairman of the election committee on four occasions.

During my time with the union, I participated in scores of meetings with dozens of members and their managers. I have seen first-hand the importance of our union and our contract protections.

I participated in meetings where a member, who had been targeted by a manager, was chided for using a colon instead of a semi-colon in a story. I have seen members unjustly attacked by their managers and treated unfairly because of personal differences. There have even been times when I was at a meeting in which a worker was let go from Dow Jones.

In each of these cases, the union was there to support the worker. We were able to arrange for some workers to be transferred. In other cases, the union helped to negotiate a severance package so our member could leave the company with money and insurance coverage. We defended the rights of those workers who were released, even after they were let go by the company.

Why am I running? I’ve been with Dow Jones for 25 years and I’ve seen many changes, both good and bad. I’ve seen the good our union can do. I’ve seen how IAPE has made life better for the Dow Jones worker. I’ve seen what we can accomplish when we work together.

I realize the union president is not the boss of the union. Rather, the role of president is to be of service to the union and to its members. When you elect a president, you are choosing someone who will work for you to represent your interests to the company and to the community at large.

The president of the union works for you. If I am elected president of IAPE, I promise to continue working to serve the interests of our membership as I’ve done for the past 12 years.

Feel free to contact me with questions or comments at votesteveiape@gmail.com.

Candidate Post: Welcome To My Campaign Blog—Jodi Green

Hello fellow members!

This is my first blog post as I run for President of IAPE1096.  I hope that this will be an interactive blog, in that I would want to talk about the things that you, as members, would like to hear.  So, please reach out to me at jodisgreen@aol.com and let me know what you’re thinking.  

I am so excited to be running for President of our union.  I have been very active in IAPE for awhile now and my passion for equality and fairness in the workplace grows stronger every day.  To be able to lead this organization, to be able to represent us amongst our fellow unionized publishing companies and to be the strong and firm voice at the bargaining table in 2 years is something I am more than honored to take on.

For more information about me, as well as the list of events I have scheduled to get to know as many of you as possible and for you to get to know me, please visit my website at VoteForJodi.com.

—Jodi

Candidate Statement: Jodi Green

Hello to all IAPE1096 members!

My name is JODI GREEN and I am running for the position of President of IAPE.  Many members in the Princeton office have seen me at our meetings and events or may recognize me from emails I’ve sent with announcements and reminders.  Our members in our other offices across the country, however, may never have heard of me.  Therefore, I want to give you all a little background as to who I am, what led me to be active in IAPE and WHY I want to run for President.

I have been an employee at Dow Jones in the Data Strategy Department for almost 4 years in the position of Content Operations Specialist, which involves working behind the scenes on Factiva content. 

I started getting involved with IAPE the way a lot of people do: I had a complaint. Mine was regarding my salary and I remembered that one of the functions of the union was to do salary comparisons.  After meeting with Tim Martell and our current President, Yogita Patel, I started to learn about all of the other ways the union works for its members behind the scenes.  I started to think about some of the things that had happened at my past companies (layoffs, lack of raises, uncontrollable healthcare costs, and no back-up at meetings with HR), where I and my fellow employees had no choice but to go along with whatever the company said.  The employees had no power. 

When I indicated that I wanted to become involved, Yogi nominated me to become a Location Director for Princeton and also asked me if I’d be interested in taking on the role of Classification Committee Chair. This involved attending the monthly Classification/Labor Management/Grievance meetings with the company attorneys and HR. 

When I got involved with IAPE, the thing that drew me in the most was that I was suddenly in a position where I could help other people in whatever ways they needed. One way was to attend disciplinary or investigatory meetings with them. I knew how nerve-wracking it was to be called into a meeting with HR and your manager. I was able to help someone by sitting there with them and be on their side, making sure that they were receiving fair treatment and that they did not feel alone.

During last year’s bargaining, I helped run the Q&A sessions and was there to motivate our members to fight for the things that they wanted. I want to be able to do more and more of that before it’s even time to start negotiating our next contract. It was great to have such that kind of excitement during contract negotiations, but typically that motivation subsides once the contract is signed. I want to raise that level of motivation to be present throughout the lifetime of the contract, so that when it times to negotiate a new one, there is no doubt to the company that the changes are ones the members truly want.

I want fairness for our members.  I want our members to get the things that they, as employees, deserve.  I want us to feel empowered. 

Part of my process in deciding to run for President was to come up with a vision for how I see IAPE under my leadership.  What do I want to accomplish in my tenure? 

Coming up with a vision was not an easy task. I did a lot of research on unions, how involved our membership was, how things could change and the work that has been done up to this point could be enhanced.  I also went back and learned how and why unions were formed in the first place. As we all know, in particular in 2020, change is inevitable.  IAPE needs to be able to adapt to the changes thrown at us by the company (and pandemics), but also to challenge the status quo to improve our position with the company.  In the end, the more powerful our union, the more changes we can effect. 

The power of a union comes from the determination and drive of our members.  The officers, directors and stewards can only do so much.  Without our members backing us up, there’s only so much we can accomplish.  We did a good job when we went through this last contract bargaining.  My vision is to empower and excite our members to fight alongside the officers and board in getting the fairness we as employees deserve.  I want IAPE to become LOUD, so that the company cannot help but to truly hear us.

Because of COVID, I obviously cannot visit the different offices, as I had originally planned. I do hope, though, to meet as many of you virtually as I can. Visit my website (VoteforJodi.com) to learn more about WHY I’m running for President, as well as the events I currently have planned and ways in which you can reach me.

Let’s get LOUD!

Jodi Green
Content Operations Specialist
IAPE1096 Mid-Atlantic Location Director
IAPE1096 Classification Committee Chair