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IAPE is monitoring the unfolding restructuring to ensure management respects members’ rights under the contract

WSJ leadership announced the latest large-scale—and unsettling—restructuring in the newsroom this week, mainly affecting the Life & Work teams. While IAPE has received no notices of member layoffs in that or other departments this week, we are concerned about a lack of communication by management about the restructuring’s aims. What shoe will drop next? 

Our collective bargaining agreement does allow for the “transfer of jobs within the same location,” a provision IAPE insisted on during 2019 contract negotiations. We are monitoring the new structure to ensure the moves were made properly under contract obligations related to departments—defined by our contract as a “distinct functional/operational group”—and seniority. 

We know positions outside of the IAPE bargaining unit were eliminated this week and that many of our members are shouldering the difficult departure of longtime colleagues and are fearful about their own job security. IAPE board members and stewards are available if you have questions about your seniority, concerns regarding your rights, tips about layoffs to share (because we rely on information from our members) or just need to talk. As always, you can email union@iape1096.org to be connected with a board member or steward. 

We’re left with the same questions we’ve been asking for years: When will this end? Can we stop living in fear and focus on doing good work? What is the point of all these changes, really? 

In other labor news, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox were fired from their positions on Monday. These actions leave the NLRB without a quorum, as only two of five labor board positions remain filled, and the NLRB can’t perform any federal labor law enforcement, at least in the short term. The long-term impact on any pending or future CWA, TNG or IAPE proceedings in the NLRB pipeline is not immediately clear.

The IAPE board and staff are monitoring the situation. Read the CWA statement here: https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/cwa-condemns-donald-trumps-firing-nlrbs-jennifer-abruzzo-and-gwynne-wilcox

Holiday Pay: What the Company Owes You

File for your pay, don’t forget the extra day!

Monday, Jan. 20, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a contract-recognized holiday for IAPE-represented employees working in the United States. It’s also Inauguration Day, which means a lot of news coverage and a lot of IAPE members who will be earning Holiday Pay.

Recently, the Dow Jones People department provided managers with some Holiday Pay guidance: “If an employee works on a holiday recognized by the company they have the option of selecting another day off or being paid out for the holiday. If they choose to be paid out there's a form that needs to be filled out and the manager has to submit that to HR.”

While this information is helpful, it only describes one half of your Holiday Pay entitlement. To receive your actual Holiday Pay—1.5X pay for your first seven hours of work, 2X pay for time in excess of seven hours—you must enter all your time worked in Workday.

Because—and this is important—whenever you work on a contract-recognized holiday, you earn Holiday Pay and you receive either an extra day off in lieu of the holiday, or an extra day’s pay.

For holidays between Jan. 1 and July 3 in any calendar year, your manager must approve any request to cash out an extra day off. Extra days earned for working holidays between July 4 and Dec. 31 may be cashed out without a manager’s permission.

So, please remember: use the form provided by HR if you want to request cash for your extra day. But first, file all hours worked on Monday—or on any holiday—in Workday. It’s your money!

* * *

A special note for members who usually work Tuesday through Saturday or Wednesday through Sunday schedules: because Monday is your regular day off, you also receive an extra day off in lieu of the holiday on Monday. If you are required to work on Monday, IAPE and Dow Jones have a history of recognizing hours worked as payable at 2X your normal pay rate. Please contact the IAPE office for guidance on filing for your Holiday Pay.

Aetna Fixes Deductible Foul-Up

Swift Action by IAPE Members Prevents Healthcare Cost Error

A coding error by Aetna last week caused several Dow Jones employees to worry 2025 was going to be a very expensive year for healthcare.

On Thursday, keen-eyed IAPE members noticed that calendar year deductible amounts for Aetna POS II plan subscribers had ballooned to $3,300 for in-network coverage and $6,600 for out-of-network expenses, rather than the $600 and $1,200 amounts defined in 2025 open enrollment materials. Calls to Aetna customer service confirmed the significantly higher deductible amounts.

After members contacted the IAPE office with questions about the accuracy of Aetna’s records, union officials immediately alerted the Dow Jones Legal Department to the new deductible rates. News Corp’s Benefits Department responded to IAPE on Friday morning with news that an Aetna coding error caused inaccurate deductible amounts to be applied to POS II subscribers. The Benefits Department said that all Aetna records should be corrected this week.

The company credited IAPE members for bringing this error to its attention.

This POS II deductible snafu is a great example of how union members can join together, share information and resolve problems in the workplace. Members brought an issue to the attention of management, through their union representatives, and received timely updates via IAPE Slack (if you’re a member who has not yet subscribed, you can register here). Management acted quickly to correct an error in a contractually-protected benefit.

If you are aware of a workplace problem you believe needs to be addressed by IAPE, please email the union office or contact one of your area IAPE Directors.

Tangel Elected IAPE Treasurer

The nominations period for the 2024 IAPE Special Election has closed, and the Elections Committee has declared Andrew Tangel the new Treasurer for IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096. He was the only nominee, making a membership vote unnecessary under the rules for this election.

A Wall Street Journal reporter since 2014, Tangel covers aviation safety and regulation, and previously reported on transportation in New York City.

Tangel fills a vacancy created after the departure of previous Treasurer Austen Hufford, who resigned his position in November. The term of office for IAPE Treasurer, and all current officer and director positions on the IAPE Board, will continue through Nov. 30, 2026.

Twice as Thankful for Holiday Pay

The officers, directors and staff of IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096 would like to extend best wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday to all members working in the United States. The IAPE office will close Wednesday afternoon for an extended weekend and will reopen bright and early Monday morning.

IAPE-represented Dow Jones employees working in the U.S. who are required to work on the Thanksgiving holiday are reminded to file for Holiday Pay. Whether you are considered overtime eligible or overtime exempt, you are entitled to claim this benefit: 1.5X pay for all regular hours worked on Thanksgiving Day, and 2X pay for any extra hours worked. Members are also entitled to choose between an extra day’s pay or an additional day off in lieu of working on a holiday.

And on Friday, get ready to file for your Holiday Pay all over again! Yes, the Day After Thanksgiving is also a contract holiday this year. Same terms apply as on Thanksgiving: all U.S.-based members are eligible; 1.5X pay for regular hours and 2X pay for extra hours; plus an extra day’s pay or day off.

Remember: in order to receive your compensation, all Holiday Pay hours must be entered into Workday (select “holiday worked” and enter your number of hours worked). You must also inform your manager whether you wish to receive extra pay or additional time off for your day(s) worked. If you choose to take the time off, there is no requirement to use the day in the same pay period.

It’s your money—file for it!

Thinking of Selling Vacation Time?
Do you have an extra week of vacation time you’re not able to schedule this year? Is your salary $78,000 or less? You don’t need to let that week expire at the end of the year. Article IX of the IAPE/Dow Jones contract provides the ability for some members to sell vacation time back to the company.

Section E of that Article states, “An Employee who is entitled to at least three weeks of vacation and whose compensation is $1,500 per week or less will be granted one week's pay in lieu of one week's vacation at the request of the Employee.”

If you qualify and you want to sell a week of vacation time, inform your manager and contact your Dow Jones People Department representative.

IAPE Board Votes “No” on Organizing

By a count of 10 to 6, with one abstention, the IAPE Board of Directors has voted to reject a resolution to organize workers outside of Dow Jones.

The proposal first presented during the Sept. 21 meeting of the union’s governing board was tabled during that discussion, with an agreement to revisit the resolution during the next regular Board meeting.

As the resolution was being debated, proponents cited recent layoffs at Dow Jones and a declining membership as reasons to expand IAPE representation. Directors opposed to the proposal expressed concerns about representing workers who may have more interest in promoting political or social causes than current union-represented journalists.

With its vote, the IAPE Board preserved the union’s status as the only large Local within The NewsGuild—and one of very few overall—to represent workers at only one employer, and under a single contract.

Layoffs. Again.

More layoffs hit WSJ this week, this time in our South Asia bureau. IAPE members stand in solidarity with all Dow Jones employees affected by layoffs.

IAPE learned Thursday that four Dow Jones employees received layoff notices in South Asia, dwindling the size of the bureau to only three employees. While these employees were not IAPE-represented, they come as the latest blow in a year that has seen huge cuts–even as the company repeatedly boasted record profits. The number of IAPE-represented jobs lost through layoffs in 2024 sits at 79, a count that does not include the slashing of several non-IAPE positions at international bureaus.

This marks the second time in as many months that IAPE has had to put out the notice of our colleagues’ jobs being eliminated with little fanfare.

As Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour said after announcing yet another profitable quarter on November 8, “Our current success would not be possible without the continued hard work and dedication from each of you.” That includes our colleagues who have just lost their jobs. The steady drip of cuts has prompted questions about the company’s stated commitment to quality journalism as it seems uninterested in retaining talent and knowledge–or the burden on those left behind.

Open Enrollment Reminders

Two days after receiving full open enrollment details from Dow Jones, we’re walking back our guidance from the beginning of this month. A little. After testing the “Precision Benefit” decision support tool, we are pleased to report we have been able to receive recommendations to enroll in multiple health insurance options.

This is not intended to be a ringing endorsement of the tool; we still suggest that members review all available information before making a decision on 2025 health care. Also, if you live in a market served by the company’s new Centivo health insurance option, be sure to attend one of the two remaining plan workshops, and check out the pre-recorded video presentation explaining the new plan.

Don’t forget, the deadline to choose 2025 coverage is Nov. 20.

Speaking of deadlines, if you have not yet submitted all receipts toward your annual $700 IAPE Physical Fitness Reimbursement benefit, your deadline to claim 2024 expenses is Nov. 30. Any receipts submitted after Nov. 30 will count toward your 2025 reimbursement limit.

It’s your money! File for it today!

IAPE Needs a new Treasurer – Farewell Austen!
IAPE Treasurer—make that ex-Treasurer—Austen Hufford has left Dow Jones and, after a period of remaining active with IAPE, has now vacated his position on the union’s Board of Directors. Austen sends along this update and farewell message to his fellow members:

Hello, I’m Austen Hufford. I’m a journalist and I’ve served as the treasurer for IAPE 1096 since 2020.

I joined The Wall Street Journal and became an IAPE member in 2015 in New York. I then moved to Chicago to cover U.S. manufacturing, before heading to Washington, D.C. as a national economics reporter.

It’s been a privilege working alongside IAPE President Jodi Green, Executive Director Tim Martell and the dedicated staff and board members at IAPE. The entire organization advocates tirelessly for our fellow Dow Jones colleagues.

As we all know, the media industry faces significant challenges. For Dow Jones to thrive, it must attract, retain and fairly compensate the best talent in the industry. IAPE is here to protect our rights and fight for increased pay and benefits.

Earlier this year, I was laid off along with many of our colleagues in D.C., fellow IAPE members who’ve dedicated decades to Dow Jones. I chose to remain involved with the union after the layoff, to help secure a new contract for all of us.

I have stepped down from my role at IAPE and am taking a break from full-time journalism. I’ll be enrolling in a two-year intensive program at a yeshiva in Jerusalem, focused on Jewish studies. I’m looking forward to immersing myself in Torah study and values that have supported strong families and communities for generations. You’re welcome to follow my journey by subscribing to my newsletter, Yom Yeshiva, at yomyeshiva.substack.com.

This opportunity to further my education is only possible due to the severance and retraining benefits that our union has successfully negotiated with the company over decades. I intend to return to journalism full-time in a few years.

Next Week: IAPE 101
If you were recently hired by Dow Jones, or if you transferred from a non-union position into your current role sometime over the past year, and if you ever wondered where you can go to find out more about this thing called IAPE, we have a suggestion:

Sign up for IAPE 101.

Next Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 2:00 p.m. EST, join us for this Zoom presentation and learn more about your union. We’ll cover all the basic questions: what is a union? How did you end up in a union? And most importantly, what are the benefits of being in a union?

If you can stick around beyond the first half-hour, we’ll open the virtual floor for any questions you might have.

IAPE veterans, you’re welcome to join, too.

To register and receive your Zoom invitation, sign up through the IAPE Events page.

IMPORTANT: Open Enrollment Guidance and Cautions

On Wednesday, Dow Jones employees received an announcement from Dianne DeSevo that Open Enrollment starts on November 6 and ends on November 20. 

There are a couple of changes to note: 

1. A new medical plan option called Centivo Partnership Plan (according to the website only available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas) is being offered. Be sure to visit the website and read carefully what this new plan offers and costs. The yearly premium for this new plan has yet to be released. The company is offering four workshops to learn about Centivo, as well as a pre-recorded workshop. Additionally, always do your own research.

2. As you may remember from bargaining updates, IAPE negotiated a new benefit for doula reimbursement. While we did not negotiate the reimbursement amount, the announcement from Dianne DeSevo confirms that the benefit will be implemented by Dow Jones with a reimbursement amount of $2,000. 

CAUTION: The Dow Jones Open Enrollment process still offers a decision support tool. In the past, this tool has been called “Ask Alex” and “Pilot”. For the 2025 Open Enrollment period the decision support tool is called “Precision Benefit”. 

Regardless of its name, in the past, the tool provided by Dow Jones to assist in choosing appropriate healthcare coverage remained the same in its inefficiency in suggesting appropriate coverage. Each year we hear from IAPE members that no matter what information they enter into this tool, the system always selects the high-deductible CDHP plan as the primary option. This misleads members to assume that this is, in fact, the right option for them. However, many times this is not the case and we hear during the year that members’ healthcare costs have skyrocketed because they did not choose the appropriate plan for them. NOTE: You cannot switch Dow Jones health insurance plans outside of Open Enrollment.

In the past, IAPE has informed Dow Jones of our concerns with the decision support tool and highlighted that the tool does not suggest the POS II Plan as an insurance option.

We are not yet able to test out this year’s “Precision Benefit” tool since it will not be rolled out until November 6. That being said, as in the past, IAPE has not received any assurance that the “Precision Benefit” will be any more accurate this year. Therefore, we offer the same caution this year: do not rely on Precision Benefit to lead you in the right direction. We recommend reviewing each plan and choosing the healthcare option that is best for your needs.. 

If you were unable to attend IAPE’s Contract 101 on Healthcare, you can find a link to the recording on IAPE Slack. Click here to sign up for IAPE Slack.

Open Enrollment & Healthcare Coverage - Join Our Contract Q&A

With little more than a week left in the month of October, Dow Jones employees will soon be receiving reminders about open enrollment for 2025 health insurance coverage.

Making sure you have the right coverage for you and your family is a big deal. And as we have noted in previous years, you can’t always rely on company resources to point you in the right direction.

That’s why we’re inviting all IAPE members to join tomorrow’s Contract 101 session, when we’ll present an overview of three medical and prescription coverage levels for members working in the United States. We’ll also highlight dental and vision options.

To join, please visit the IAPE Events Page and register for the Oct. 23 class. We’ll begin our Zoom meeting at 2:00 p.m. EDT, and we’ll make sure to have plenty of time for Q&A.

Do you have horror stories about choosing the wrong coverage level in the past? Come share with our newer members! Let’s make sure all IAPE-represented employees have the tools they need to make informed decisions about healthcare coverage.

Join us tomorrow for Contract 101!