November 29, 2016
IAPE Members Ratify Agreement
65.23% Say
A majority of IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096 members at the "main" Dow Jones bargaining unit have approved a new, three-year collective agreement.
Following an extended voting period, and after the close of polls on Monday at 4:00 PM EST, the IAPE Election Committee announced 65.23% of voting members opted to approve the new agreement, while 34.64% chose to reject the contract.
791 of 1,187 eligible voters cast ballots for an impressive return rate of 66.64%, edging out the 65.69% of IAPE members who voted on the 2007-10 contract as the highest rate of voter turnout in recent years.
The Union's election services provider, TrueBallot Inc., certified the ratification results with a final count of 516 in favor compared to 274 opposed.
IAPE and Dow Jones representatives will now meet to sign a Memorandum of Agreement. Once done, work will begin on drafting final contract language and an updated job description document.
Terms of the new contract will take effect immediately. The new contract term is scheduled to last through June 30, 2019, though both the Company and the Union have the option to terminate the agreement after each contract year.