Contract Update: Talking About July 11th

IAPE and Dow Jones negotiators met twice this week, on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Unfortunately, the very small amount of progress at the beginning of the week was negated by the company’s actions away from the bargaining table.

During yesterday’s meeting, union representatives expressed disappointment at two email messages delivered to News staff on Thursday morning. In the first, Editor-In-Chief Matt Murray reminded WSJ News staff, “our return to the office across all our newsrooms is set for this coming Monday, July 11.” Kate Ortega followed up with a separate note describing the “nuts and bolts” of a return to the office at 1211 AOA in New York.

Management’s plans for News locations outside of New York are not clear to the union.

IAPE believes Dow Jones requiring any employees to return to an office at this time is an unlawful act, and the union informed company officials of this view in a letter dated July 1. That message was prompted after IAPE received word of News managers telling staff that failure to return to their office desks on July 11 could be “risky” and that disciplinary action could result.

Following Tuesday’s negotiation session, Dow Jones delivered a letter of its own to say its decisions concerning where and when work will be performed “fall squarely within management’s rights under our contract and applicable law.”

We disagree.

The union’s position is simple: any “impasse” that existed when Dow Jones informed IAPE in June it would implement return to office plans was broken as soon as the union presented proposals for a new contract, including plans for new hybrid and remote working policies. We believe this view is supported by federal labor law and we are fully prepared to return—again—to the National Labor Relations Board to preserve our rights in this matter.

That does not mean we are suggesting any member in News should ignore instructions to return to an office on Monday. Despite our view on the legality of the company’s actions, instructions from managers must be obeyed, and challenged by the union after the fact if necessary. For those of you outside of WSJ News, and perhaps Media Sales, the option to work from your home remains up to you.

Regardless of where we’ll be working on Monday, IAPE’s Board of Directors will be reviewing a new proposal package to be presented to Dow Jones when the parties meet again on Tuesday, July 12. Our goal remains the same: to negotiate a contract providing IAPE members with real wage increases and meaningful gains in terms and conditions of employment.

As always, thank you for your support, and please feel free to send along your feedback.