You’re Invited: The NYC Labor Day Parade

IAPE members in the New York and New Jersey area, join your fellow union members on Saturday morning for the New York City Labor Day Parade! We’ll meet up with our union siblings from the Communications Workers of America and the NewsGuild of New York and shout out our support for IAPE and the labor movement.

Our meeting spot and time on Saturday morning: 45th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue at 10:00 a.m. IAPE tees (or your favorite red shirt) are fashion musts. Coffee and bagels will be provided. All are welcome—bring the whole family!

See you Saturday morning!

Our Favorite Holiday!

On behalf of the officers and staff of the Independent Association of Publishers' Employees, best wishes to you, our IAPE-represented employees, and your families, pets, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, for a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. The Union office will be closed on Monday for the holiday—our favorite one of the year!—but will reopen as usual on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

For those of you required to work on Monday, the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones provides you with the right to file for time-and-one-half (1.5X pay) for all regular hours worked on the holiday and double-time (2X pay) for any extra hours worked.

If Monday is typically a day off for you—that is, if you usually have a four-day workweek, or perhaps a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule—and you have been assigned Labor Day coverage anyway, you are entitled to double-time for all hours worked on Labor Day.

The contract also gives IAPE-represented employees the right to choose a day’s pay or an additional day off for work performed on all holidays after July 3 in any calendar year. If you are assigned a shift on Monday and you want extra pay instead of a day off in lieu of the holiday, please inform your manager.

You may file for your Holiday Pay through Workday. If you have any questions about pay for working on a holiday or receiving your extra day’s pay or day off (again, your choice), please contact the IAPE office.

Happy Labor Day!

We Love a Parade!
Labor Day is a time to pay tribute to the history and contributions of the labor movement, with parades, picnics and rallies held across the country. If you attend a Labor Day celebration in your neighborhood, we would love to see your photos! Send them along to union@iape1096.org, and we will feature them on IAPE social media platforms.

For members in the New York area, watch this space next week for an invitation to join IAPE members—and our NewsGuild and CWA siblings—at the NYC Labor Day Parade, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6. We hope to see you there!

No merit in “no merit:” IAPE wants you to get a raise

We have received reports that managers have been telling IAPE members they can’t get a merit raise this year due to the union contract. 

That’s inaccurate.

Management has in previous years awarded merit raises on top of contractual union raises based on performance. This year is the latest that managers have blamed the union contract for their decision not to hand out merit raises. 

While it may be demoralizing, it is also a reminder that IAPE benefits from member engagement and help. We will need to prepare for the next contract fight in 2027. Apparently, the union contract is still the best way to get a raise. 

Here are some persistent myths about raises: 

Myth: The union sets a limit on raises during contract years. 
Fact: The contract Dow Jones signed with IAPE sets a compensation floor, not a ceiling. Union members spent a year bargaining to make sure we all get at least a small annual pay raise during each year of the contract. Despite what your managers may tell you, Dow Jones has always confirmed to IAPE that employees can discuss discretionary pay raises with management at any time. You should ask for more. 

Myth: There just isn’t any money this year. 
Fact: While Dow Jones can set its budget as it chooses, it’s notable that after a second celebrated year of record profits, they’re telling managers to let people know they set nothing aside for the workers who made it happen. You should ask for more. 

Myth: 2025 union raises just went through so that’s that. 
Fact: Discretionary raises can happen at any time of the year. Maybe even after the next time Almar sends out another record earnings email. You should ask for more. 

Myth: “We all think we deserve a promotion.” 
Fact: Many members have spent the past year learning, growing, experimenting and succeeding in their roles, often taking on more work as departments shrivel with layoffs and restructuring. For those members, promotions aren’t a little treat the company gives out of the goodness of their hearts—they’re recognition of the work that makes this company thrive. You should ask for more. 

Myth: No one is getting a raise 
Fact: Some people are—and good for them! When we support each other in our successes, we all do better. You should ask for more.

To the managers who are repeating these myths, we say: It may come as a surprise to you to learn that the union receives pay data for all IAPE-represented employees each pay period. So it’s pretty easy to figure out when someone receives a merit increase. When the union reports back with the number of discretionary raises this year, we just want to make sure you’re going to stand by your "no merit” statements.

You’d think these myths would have been debunked by now: 

February 18, 2021

May 15, 2024

September 3, 2024

August 6, 2025

We’re Still Worth More

IAPE welcomes the news shared today by Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour. We were pleased to see that the fiscal year that ended June 30 was, as Latour explained, “the best year on record for Dow Jones—a direct result of your hard work and dedication.”

Equally welcome is the news that negotiated contract pay increases—retroactive to July 1— should be included in tomorrow’s pay deposits.

Given the company’s latest record-breaking results, perhaps IAPE members should consider whether to have a conversation with their manager about discretionary pay. Because it’s available. It always is.

Oh sure, some managers will claim, “there’s no merit pay in this department.” And that’s strange, because most Dow Jones job postings for positions available in the United States now include this sentence: “Pay-for-performance is a key element in our strategy to attract, engage, and motivate talented people to do their best work.”

After all, you can’t have your best year on record when people aren’t performing their best work.

So, if you believe your 2025 pay increase is fair and you’re happy with your new rate of pay, we’re happy too. But if you think you’ve gone above and beyond for Dow Jones, and you want to have a chat with your manager about being paid a little extra, you should feel free. As we often remind members: IAPE negotiates pay floors, not pay ceilings. No provision in the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones prevents managers from granting discretionary pay at any time.

During 2023-24 contract negotiations, IAPE members reminded management over and over again: we’re worth more. That’s still true today.

Responding to Reviews: Part Two

Following up on last week’s message concerning the inability to attach responses to 2025 performance evaluations, IAPE has received instructions from Dow Jones on how to submit comments on your review.

For Employees: How to Submit Comments on Your Performance Review

1. Prepare your comments in a Google or Word document.

2. Open a Ticket on Sofi using a request form. Select the “Other” option from the drop-down panel.

3. Attach Your Comments to the request form in a word document where indicated and submit the ticket.

4. Next Steps: A member of the People Operations team will handle your request and will confirm once your comments have been successfully added to your performance review.

The company has also provided a screenshot, below, of the information you should see when you access the Sofi request form.

Dow Jones hopes to implement a process to build post-review comments into the automated system for 2026. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this year’s solution, or your 2025 performance review, please contact IAPE at union@iape1096.org.

The NewsGuild Presents: Journalist Safety Workshop

Any member who has attended IAPE 101 has heard us say it: connecting with and following The NewsGuild—IAPE’s parent union—is a great way to learn about union matters affecting our industry. Another benefit of Guild membership is the opportunity to attend industry-specific trainings designed to protect our jobs and our members.

With that in mind, we are happy to share an invitation to join a TNG Committee to Defend Free Press event on August 4 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Entitled, “Journalist Safety Workshop: Protect Yourself, Protect Your Colleagues, Protect The Free Press,” this Zoom class is designed to equip media workers with the tools, knowledge, and resources to navigate dangerous situations—whether on assignment, online, or in the workplace.

Register to attend at bit.ly/GuildSafety.

Agenda highlights for this workshop include personal stories of journalists covering protests (with a breakout session: How to protect yourself on assignment), a know-your-rights safety training (another breakout session: Protect your union through collective bargaining), lessons from the field: bargaining for press safety at the Southern California News Group, and we’ll end the session with group reflections and discussion.

All Guild members—and that means IAPE members—are welcome. Get your individual invitation by registering at bit.ly/GuildSafety.

Responding to Reviews

Dow Jones has responded to IAPE queries about the inability to submit responses to 2025 performance evaluations, an issue highlighted by the union in a message to members last week.

The Dow Jones HRIS team is working on a process for employees to submit comments in response to this year’s reviews, so they may be preserved in Workday for future reference. Details will be communicated to the union and to staff as soon as they are available.

The company will also implement a system change for next year so that employees can submit comments directly to their evaluations once they are provided by managers.

Contract 101: Compensation
Join IAPE representatives tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. EDT for a Contract 101 presentation explaining annual pay increases and all other forms of compensation available under the terms of the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones.

This is a remote class conducted via Zoom. Visit the IAPE Events page to Register.

Let’s Talk About Compensation . . . Again

If you missed the last presentation of IAPE Contract 101 in May, when we explained annual pay increases and all forms of compensation, you’re in luck. A repeat of this class is scheduled for next Wednesday, July 23 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Contract 101 is a great way to learn more about the collective bargaining agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, with a deep dive into different contract clauses in each class. Next week, we’ll discuss what you can expect when our 2025 pay increases are processed in August, and we’ll highlight all the ways you can use your contract to earn extra compensation. We’ll even explain how pay scales work!

Register for this class on the IAPE Events Page. And while you’re there, be sure to sign up for the next edition of IAPE 101—it’s a great introduction to IAPE for new members!

Did You File for Holiday Pay?
Among the forms of extra compensation we’ll talk about in next week’s Contract 101 class is Holiday Pay—the extra premium Dow Jones is required to pay when IAPE-represented employees work on holidays recognized by Article VIII of the collective agreement.

If you’re an IAPE member in the United States who was required to work on July 4th—or a member in Canada who had to work on July 1st—and you haven’t filed for your Holiday Pay yet, what are you waiting for?

Holiday Pay hours must be entered in Workday. Regular hours worked on a holiday are payable at 1.5X your normal rate of pay, while additional hours are payable at 2X your rate of pay. If you are required to work on a holiday falling on a day that is normally your day off, all your time must be paid at 2X your pay. The company is also required to grant an additional day off or an extra day’s pay when you work on a holiday—and for holidays after July 3 in any calendar year, you get to choose between the extra day or the extra pay.

It’s your money. File for it!

Correction
In yesterday’s member note about performance evaluations, we invited members to contact the union office with any questions about FY2025 evaluations or FY2026 goals. Unfortunately, there was an error in the email address hyperlink in the text of that note.

If you have questions about your review, your goals, or any workplace matter, you can always reach an IAPE representative by emailing union@iape1096.org.

Why Are Goals Optional?

In case you missed the email on Monday from Dow Jones CPO Dianne DeSevo—along with another reminder today—management has kicked off the goal setting process for the 2026 fiscal year. IAPE was pleased to see DeSevo’s Monday note contained a reminder that goal setting is optional for IAPE-represented employees.

It is a long-held position of this union that conducting performance evaluations and providing annual goals should be management functions.

We remind members of that from time to time.

Yes, management also likes to inform staff that “meaningful conversations with your manager are encouraged.” IAPE agrees. The problem is, we occasionally hear from members that conversations with managers about goals and evaluations aren’t meaningful at all.

To repeat some IAPE guidance from previous years, we realize these employee/manager discussions are often employees’ best opportunities to talk about goals, expectations, performance and pay. IAPE is not opposed to members setting their own goals, we simply want you to know that you are not required to submit yours if you would rather have your manager set those targets for you.

The choice is yours.

* * *

While we’re discussing performance goals and evaluations, we should also mention that management actually is not required to provide performance evaluations.

It is true that the majority of Dow Jones employees receive an annual review from their manager. But occasionally, a manager skips a year.

That’s okay, and permissible under Article XXI of the IAPE/DJ collective agreement, which reads:

“If an Employee receives a written performance evaluation, he or she has the right to review the evaluation and to affix their written response to the evaluation. Nothing in this provision shall require the Company to give performance evaluations. The Company and the Union agree that performance evaluations under this Article shall not be considered disciplinary actions.”

If you have questions about your FY2025 evaluation or your FY2026 goals, please contact the IAPE office.

* * *

Finally, did you notice that portion of contract language confirming that IAPE-represented employees have the right to “affix their written response” to those evaluations? It seems the company has forgotten this key point, because the People Department claims the latest Dow Jones evaluation system does not provide an option for adding employee comments after a review has been submitted.

IAPE will address this with Dow Jones.

You’re Getting a Raise . . . Soon

Can you believe it’s July already? Halfway through 2025. The heat of the summer has begun. A new fiscal year for Dow Jones. And you’re getting a pay increase.

Soon.

Frequent readers of the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones can tell you that negotiated, mandatory pay increases take effect on July 1 of each contract year. Longtime IAPE members will recall there is always a short delay until those raises appear on bi-weekly pay statements and in bank accounts. The same is true this year.

Dow Jones has informed IAPE that pay increases required under the terms of the IAPE/DJ contract will be processed and paid on the Aug. 7 pay date. Deposits delivered that week will also include a small amount of retroactive pay for deposits processed on July 10 and July 24.

The 2025 compensatory increase—our negotiated percentage pay raise—is 3.75%. While the collective agreement describes three forms of mandatory annual pay raises, the compensatory increase is applicable to the majority of IAPE-represented employees.

The 2025 minimum-dollar raise is $56.25 per week ($112.50 bi-weekly), a sum that is determined by applying the compensatory percentage to a negotiated threshold of $1,500 per week. Any IAPE-represented employee eligible for a 2025 raise must receive a pay increase of at least $56.25 per week.

IAPE-represented employees paid within the introductory pay scale for their title will likely benefit more from a scale increase. Minimum pay scales for 2025-26 are listed in the Pay Tiers and Minimum Pay Scales document (see page 2 for 2025-26 scales). To be eligible for a scale advancement, an employee paid according to the introductory scale for their position must have been working in their title since Dec. 31, 2024.

IAPE-represented employees who are eligible to be paid a 2025 raise will receive one of the three negotiated increases described above—a compensatory increase, a minimum-dollar increase, or a scale increase—whichever results in the largest payout.

Current IAPE-represented employees who were hired after May 1, 2025 are not entitled to a July 1, 2025 pay raise unless their current salary is below the ‘A’ scale for their title. On the other hand, members on payroll since May 1 who have recently been promoted (or who received a merit increase or some other pay adjustment) are still eligible for the full 2025 increase, so long as that promotion took effect before today.

IAPE-represented employees on notice of layoff with separation dates during the month of July will receive severance pay based on new, post-July 1 salaries.

Negotiated pay increases described in the IAPE/Dow Jones collective agreement can be difficult to understand. If you have questions about your July 1 raise, please email union@iape1096.org.

Tomorrow: Sign up for IAPE 101
Another great way to learn about annual IAPE pay increases, and other union basics, is by attending our IAPE 101 orientation class. While this half-hour Zoom presentation is intended primarily for IAPE newcomers, veteran members are also welcome to join and participate in the Q&A session at the end of each class.

The next edition of IAPE 101 is scheduled for tomorrow, July 2, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. To register and receive your Zoom attendance link, please visit the IAPE Events Page.