IAPE Surveys: The Results

66% of IAPE members responding to union surveys would prefer Covid-19 vaccinations to be required for any Dow Jones employee to work in-office, and 71% of members say they do not plan on volunteering to return to a Dow Jones office during the company’s “Phase 2” reopening stage.

Two IAPE surveys, conducted prior to the announcement this week from Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour, that offices in the Americas are scheduled to proceed to Phase 2 on Sept. 7, received responses from approximately 20% of all IAPE-represented employees. Not surprisingly, members in News comprised the largest single component of survey participants, with 49% of replies to survey questions about desk packing and voluntary return plans, and 41% of respondents to questions about requirements for vaccinations, masks and Covid testing.

For complete survey results according to Dow Jones division -- News, Sales, Technology and “Other” -- see the IAPE website at iape1096.org/surveyresults.

Union To Proceed To Arbitration
IAPE has informed Dow Jones that it intends to file for arbitration over a union grievance concerning advance notice of disciplinary and investigatory meetings.

The grievance was first filed in July of last year after a group of employees were summoned to meetings as part of a company investigation. None of the employees were targets of the investigation.

In 2019, the union and the company agreed to new contract language which states, “An Employee shall be informed no less than three (3) hours in advance of any disciplinary or investigative meetings to which the Employee is called to attend. Notice to the Employee will clearly identify the subject matter of the meeting as either disciplinary or investigatory and will include a written statement that the Employee has the right to request from the Union that a Union representative may be present for the meeting.” The July meeting invitations informed employees they should not discuss the subject matter of the meeting with anyone.

Dow Jones has since taken the position that this contractual notice requirement should only apply when an employee summoned to a meeting is the subject of its investigation. This conflicts with IAPE representatives’ recollection of negotiations leading to the 2019 agreement.

The union informed company representatives of its decision yesterday during the regular, monthly meetings of IAPE and Dow Jones Classification, Labor/Management and Grievance Committees. An arbitration hearing for this grievance will likely be scheduled later this year.

New York: Paid Leave For Vaccinations
IAPE members working in New York, in case you missed the news, New York State adopted legislation on Mar. 12 providing paid time off to receive Covid-19 vaccinations.

“Under this new law, employees will be granted up to four hours of excused leave per injection that will not be charged against any other leave the employee has earned or accrued,” reads the notice from the State.

IAPE has asked Dow Jones whether it plans on extending this benefit to employees outside of New York. Thus far, the company has not provided a formal response, though IAPE has been informed that “any employee who is able to schedule their vaccinations will be granted time,” whether that time is considered work/life balance leave, sick time, or some other form of available time off.

Equal Pay Day
On Wednesday, IAPE and other Locals of The NewsGuild-CWA participated in Equal Pay Day. Unions tweeted messages to call attention to the issue of pay equity and pay gaps across lines of gender and ethnicities.

As long-time IAPE members know well, pay gaps are as much an issue at Dow Jones as at many other companies across the United States and Canada. Your union has developed a process to assist members determine whether they are underpaid relative to their peers, and to better inform and prepare those who are discussing discretionary pay increases with their managers.

The IAPE pay review can provide you with helpful salary data. To request your individual review, email payreview@iape1096.org.

Survey Part 2: Vaccines? Masks? Testing?

IAPE members delivered great responses to last week’s survey about Dow Jones plans to reopen offices—including suggestions for questions about three key Covid topics: vaccines, masks and testing. Today, we ask for your feedback on those items with this short follow-up survey. Once again, your responses will better inform IAPE representatives as we continue to discuss pandemic-related items with management.

Union Board of Directors Update
The IAPE Board of Directors met via Zoom on Saturday to discuss all union business, from ongoing attempts to negotiate with Dow Jones over Covid benefits, to deciding whether to proceed to arbitration over union grievances. Directors approved new social media guidelines for the union as well as a new internal document retention policy. Representatives from across the union also heard updates about IAPE’s labor board complaint against Dow Jones. 

Union Bylaws require IAPE directors to meet at least twice each fiscal year, but your elected reps are involved with all union matters on a regular basis. Currently, there are three vacancies on the IAPE Board: location director positions in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, and a classification director seat for members in Sales and/or Administrative titles. If you are interested in becoming more involved with your union and would like to find out more about becoming an IAPE director, please send a note to union@iape1096.org.

Still Tweeting About Working From Home
If you haven’t had a chance to send along your home office photos or comments about the challenges you—or you and your family—have faced in a work-from-home environment, we’re still sharing that news. Email your submissions to union@iape1096.org, and we’ll tweet your words and images (anonymously) to IAPE followers!

Tomorrow: IAPE 101
What is a union? How did I end up in one? What are the benefits of being in a union? How does IAPE work? IAPE 101 is a half-hour(ish) presentation designed to answer all of these questions and more. A new member orientation for those brand new to IAPE and a refresher discussion for veteran members, all members are welcome in this class. Register today on the IAPE Events page.

Reminder: CWA Scholarship Deadline April 30th
The CWA Joe Beirne Foundation will award 16 partial college scholarships of $4,000 each for two years. CWA members, their spouses, children, and grandchildren are eligible for the scholarships, including the dependents of retired, laid-off, or deceased members. Applications are available only online at the Foundation's website. The final deadline for the 2021-2022 school year is 11:59 p.m., EDT, Apr. 30, 2021.

The NewsGuild: Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Stay on top of Guild news by registering for TNG’s newsletter, a monthly roundup of items from around IAPE’s parent union. Subscribe today, and check out happenings affecting members at other media outlets, at newsguild.org/newsletter-subscribe/.

Survey Says: How Do You Feel About Phase 2?

Dow Jones employees were informed last week of company plans to prepare offices for reopening in Phase 2. The message to staff described voluntary returns to Dow Jones offices and safety measures including “health screenings and having set ways of entering, exiting and moving around in the office” as well as “a desk booking system to create a safe distance, which means that you won’t necessarily go back to your former seat.”

The company memo also explained, “In order for us to clean every usable desk, every single day, we'll also be introducing a clear-desk policy, meaning that no personal items should be left out on top of or under workstations.”

Today, we’d like to know how you feel about these Phase 2 plans—whether you plan on voluntarily returning to an office during this phase or not. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your responses will better inform IAPE representatives as we continue to discuss pandemic-related items with management.

Feedback: Working From Home
In last week’s update on IAPE attempts to negotiate over Covid relief, which have reached the point where the union was forced to file an unfair labor practice charge against Dow Jones, you may have missed IAPE’s request for members to share information about how working in a pandemic environment has affected you.

There is still time to send us a brief description of the challenges you—or you and your family—have faced in a work from home environment. Email your submissions to union@iape1096.org, and we’ll tweet your words and images (anonymously) to IAPE followers!

Board of Directors to Meet Saturday
The IAPE Board of Directors will hold its next regular meeting on Saturday, Mar. 13. All IAPE members are eligible to attend IAPE Board meetings—if you are interested in joining this gathering of your IAPE representatives, please register on our Events page. This meeting will be conducted via Zoom. Meeting invitations and access links will be emailed to confirmed attendees later this week.

IAPE Files Labor Board Complaint Against Dow Jones

• Union alleges Dow Jones has failed and refused to bargain in good faith

• National Labor Relations Board to investigate IAPE complaint

• IAPE members encouraged to support union campaign

The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE), Local 1096 of The NewsGuild CWA, has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, has refused to negotiate in good faith over pandemic benefits.

This action by IAPE is not taken lightly and comes after months of advocacy in which the union has repeatedly urged Dow Jones to do more to take care of employees during the pandemic. IAPE-represented employees—Dow Jones employees—have been working from their homes for a year. The union is acting on behalf of members across the company who say they continue to face difficulties in managing matters during this challenging time, with home-office costs, child care and wellness issues being frequent topics of concern.

As the certified bargaining agent for more than 1,300 employees in locations across the United States and in Canada, IAPE is legally entitled to represent their interests during unprecedented challenges to working conditions. The unilateral approach by Dow Jones not only is bad management, it violates our members' right to a seat at the table.

In a written formal charge, the union alleges, “Since at least October 2, 2020, the Company has failed and refused to bargain in good faith with the Union concerning mandatory subjects related to the impact of COVID on the terms and conditions of the bargaining unit.”

IAPE recognizes that Dow Jones has implemented benefits like Work-Life Leave, a program described as allowing employees to take up to ten hours of paid time off each week “to attend to non-work essentials.” However, leave is restricted or not available for some employees, while for many others it simply results in flex-time, with work assignments performed after regularly scheduled hours. By refusing to negotiate with IAPE, Dow Jones undercuts its own interests in employee morale, productivity and loyalty.

IAPE has delivered a number of updates to members detailing attempts to negotiate with Dow Jones over pandemic relief for employees. Dow Jones has refused to engage with IAPE over a very reasonable set of proposals addressing dependent care needs and home office expenses. Dow Jones did adopt a union proposal without negotiation to make gym equipment eligible for reimbursement under the IAPE physical fitness benefit, but only permitted expenses incurred during 2020 to be repaid under the 2021 calendar year benefit.

The NLRB will investigate the union’s complaint and determine whether formal action should be taken.

What YOU Can Do
Today, IAPE is asking all members to share information about how working in a pandemic environment has affected you. Send us a brief description of the challenges you—or you and your family—have faced in a work from home environment. Are you struggling to manage the daily demands of work and family life? Have your home utility costs taken a bite out of your budget?

If you’ve spent more than the $150 covered by Dow Jones to set up your home office—or if the desk or chair or item of very necessary equipment you need for your home office is too expensive to purchase—we want to know that, too. We’d love to see photos of your workspace, along with a description of your out-of-pocket costs. Perhaps something like this.

Or this.

We’ll use your feedback—anonymously, if you would prefer—in a campaign to call attention to this week’s NLRB complaint, and the company’s failure to address its employees most pressing needs.

Send your submissions to union@iape1096.org. And, as always, thanks for your support as we seek to make Dow Jones a better place for all of us to work.

But How Are You, Really?

IAPE members -- if you haven’t yet completed the latest “How Are You?” survey from Dow Jones, or if you have and you would like to add comments to your previous responses, please be sure to submit your survey before Monday’s deadline.

If you wish you were receiving more Covid-related benefits from Dow Jones, please take this opportunity to let management know.

The union has been engaged in a prolonged effort to encourage the company to do better on pandemic benefits, especially for work-from-home allowances and child-care assistance. Candidly, it has been slow going, and we’re preparing to press the issue further on multiple fronts (stay tuned for news on this next week). This survey is a way for you to lodge complaints directly and anonymously to top DJ brass, instead of us doing it solely with the company’s labor liaisons.

If you’ve spent more than the company-allotted $150 on work-from-home equipment and supplies, please tell the company on this survey. If you haven’t been able to take advantage of the weekly life-work leave time because your work demands won’t allow it, or because leave has been restricted in your department, tell the company. And if child care is a challenge for you while trying to manage your kids in remote school, it’s crucial for Dow Jones to hear this.

Dow Jones offers $700 a year in child-care benefits, plus some back-up options through Bright Horizons. By comparison, our understanding is the New York Times is offering employees up to $500 a week. Even if you don’t have kids but know colleagues who are having difficulty, please use the survey to advocate for your peers if you’re comfortable doing so.

And, as always, if you have questions or comments for IAPE regarding Covid-related benefits, please contact us by emailing union@iape1096.org.

Whither Merit Pay?

Several IAPE members have asked about the possibility of receiving a merit pay increase, and whether Dow Jones has instituted restrictions on merit raises. A review of Dow Jones pay data from the last quarter shows 33 IAPE-represented employees received additional pay adjustments after our negotiated pay increases were issued last year. Most of those were related to promotions and other job changes, though some appear to have been actual merit raises.

That’s a surprisingly low number of pay hikes for deserving top employees -- less than 3% of IAPE membership -- given reports of the company’s performance, and that “Dow Jones had its largest quarterly profit since News Corp acquired it in 2007.” Still, those data show salary adjustments do still happen at Dow Jones. Nothing in the IAPE/DJ contract restricts management’s ability to increase your compensation at any time.

With the end of the fiscal year in sight, members have started to have 2021 merit pay conversations with managers. Some have asked for an IAPE pay review to help prepare for those discussions. An IAPE review is a great way to see how you compare to peers with the same title, working in the same department, location and even age range.

If you’re thinking of asking for a merit raise this year, consider an in-depth look at your rate of pay before meeting with your manager. Email payreview@iape1096.org for assistance.

Did You File For Holiday Pay?
We hope you all had a chance to enjoy your long weekend, whether you had Presidents’ Day off here in the U.S., or you’re one of our members in Canada who celebrated Family Day. For those of you who were required to work on Monday, remember, you’re entitled to Holiday Pay!

Articles VIII-A and VIII-B of the IAPE/DJ contract describe our Holiday Pay benefit: 1.5X your regular pay for hours you would normally work, and double-time for any extra hours worked on Monday. Plus, you’re eligible for an additional day off in lieu of the holiday.

File for your holiday hours in Workday -- and email union@iape1096.org if you have any Holiday Pay questions.

T&E Policy Enforcement?
Members have contacted the IAPE office to inquire about enforcement notices from the Dow Jones Amex Administrator. The Dow Jones Travel & Expense Policy contains restrictions against using corporate credit cards for personal expenses, known as the “Three Strike'' Policy. While this has long been a component of the T&E Policy, emails from the Administrator suggest the company has only started enforcing this restriction recently.

We’re not sure why, but we intend to find out. If you’ve received a “Three Strike” notice concerning your use of a corporate card, or if you have any questions about the company’s expense policy, please reach out to union@iape1096.org.

Unused FSA Funds & Dependent Care Reset
In case you missed these items in recent messages from Dow Jones, the company has announced it will permit unused 2020 flex spending account funds to carry over into 2021. Previously, Dow Jones only allowed this change for dependent care FSA sums, claiming that extending the same benefit for the medical FSA would impact employees who switched from POS to CDHP medical coverage for 2021. Members who have credits in their 2020 FSA accounts can expect to receive email notices from the company.

And in a Feb. 9 note to staff from Kamilah Mitchell-Thomas, Dow Jones reminded employees that the $700 dependent care benefit had been “reset” for 2021, effective Jan. 1. This is not a new benefit, but simply a refreshing of available funds with the new year upon us.

Contract 101 - Job Security
The IAPE Contract 101 class returns on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. Next week’s class is a rerun of a popular offering from last year: Job Security. In this class, we’ll cover topics like just cause protections against discipline and dismissal, seniority protection, layoffs, severance pay and separation benefits, job postings and even disability pay and sick leave.

Whether you’re an IAPE newcomer or a veteran Dow Jones employee, it never hurts to know more about your rights under the current contract. Register for this and other classes on the IAPE Events Page -- we hope to see you next week!

IAPE @ Work: Still Talking Covid

Looking for Help at Home
More than ten months after Dow Jones employees were first instructed to work from their homes in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, Dow Jones and IAPE are still at odds over additional assistance for staff.

During a Jan. 20 meeting between union and management representatives, Dow Jones failed to respond to any of the union’s remaining Covid proposals: additional dependent care assistance and an increase to the equipment and technology stipend.

At a Labor/Management Committee meeting on Jan. 28, IAPE asked for clarification on the types of equipment now eligible for reimbursement under the IAPE physical fitness reimbursement program (Dow Jones confirmed that, yes, bicycle purchases are covered expenses), as well as plans for returning to offices and whether management is monitoring vaccine availability for employees of media companies.

If you have a question about the current work environment and you can’t find the answer on the Dow Jones Coronavirus microsite, contact the union office or your area IAPE representative.

Goal-Setting, Promotions, Social Media and Job Titles
At that same Jan. 28 meeting, the Labor/Management group discussed a number of other items, including goal-setting in the new Glint performance-review system. IAPE members who had been instructed to enter goals provided by their manager have asked whether managers have the ability to insert those goals into the Glint system themselves. The answer, apparently, is yes, but that there is no difference in how that information is recorded, regardless of whether the goal is entered by the employee or manager.

Just a reminder: setting goals is an optional activity for employees.

IAPE also shared member concerns about promotions -- whether they are available, why they take so long to be approved, and so on. The union also questioned revisions to the News social media policy, and asked for examples of what management believes is, and is not, acceptable for staff to share, post and tweet.

The Dow Jones and IAPE Committee discussed a formal job classification for employees holding the Columnist job title, and a proposal to reclassify staff in the Heard on the Street section as “Heard Writers.”

The IAPE/DJ contract requires formal job classification and pay scale for titles occupied by three or more IAPE-represented employees. Accurate classifications are important for determining pay increases and seniority within a department.

Cutting Part-Time Pay? That’s A Grievance!
Dow Jones recently informed IAPE it was unilaterally ending a long-standing practice in Bowling Green, Ohio, where part-time employees have historically been paid for a full shift regardless of the number of hours they were required to work.

IAPE has filed a grievance on behalf of two current part-timers to have that paid time restored. The grievance was discussed at the most-recent meeting of IAPE and Dow Jones joint committees on Jan. 28. Other pending grievances include disputes over disciplinary letters and incentive payments.

If you have a workplace concern you believe should be addressed by the IAPE Grievance, Classification or Labor/Management committees, please contact IAPE at union@iape1096.org.

IAPE 101 on Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET 
What is a union? How did I end up in one? What are the benefits of being in a union? How does IAPE work? All of these questions and more will be answered at this new member orientation for those brand new to IAPE and veteran members alike. If you’ve recently joined Dow Jones, or if you’ve recently been reclassified into an IAPE-represented title, and you’ve been wondering what it means to be in a union, this is the class for you!

See the IAPE Events Page to register and receive a Zoom link for this information session.

New Dues Rates Take Effect This Week

IAPE members who have been paying union dues at a rate of $22.04 per pay period will notice an increase in dues payments in tomorrow’s pay deposits. The elimination of the cap on union dues payments, approved by members in last year’s referendum vote, takes effect this week.

Members paid salaries in excess of $81,862 will see union dues calculated at the same rate as members paid below that threshold: 0.7% of regular pay (and incentive payments for members in sales).

Any IAPE member who has questions about this calculation of union dues should reach out to the IAPE office by emailing union@iape1096.org.

Contract 101: Let’s Talk About Time Off

IAPE’s Contract 101 series resumes on Wednesday afternoon with a fresh look at paid time off: your vacation time, comp time, personal days and contract holidays. We’ll talk about the special “rollover” of unused 2020 vacation time, and what happens if you leave the company without using your accrued time off.

Join us via Zoom on Jan. 13 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Register on the IAPE Events page to receive your meeting invitation.

Looking Ahead to the Long Weekend
With next weekend being the first long weekend of 2021, this is as good a time as any to remind you of our contract’s Holiday Pay provisions (which we’ll also discuss during Wednesday’s Contract 101 session).

Under the terms of the IAPE/Dow Jones collective agreement, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a recognized holiday. If you are a U.S.-based employee and you’re required to work next Monday, you’re entitled to Holiday Pay: that’s time-and-one-half for all regular hours worked, and double-time for any extra hours. You’re also entitled to an additional day off in lieu of the holiday, or an extra day’s pay at the company’s discretion.

(For holidays between Jan. 1 and Jul. 3, management has the discretion to choose the extra day over extra pay. The employee may opt for pay instead of a banked day off for holidays worked between Jul. 3 and Dec. 31.)

We’re Hiring!
IAPE is seeking a part-time assistant to the Executive Director and President to manage administrative duties in our Princeton, NJ, office, though this role will be a work-from-home position through the end of the current pandemic. The ideal candidate is someone with excellent skills in the areas of organization, attention to detail, time management, ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize and problem solve.

See our job posting for full details, and please pass it along to anyone you think might be interested.

Our Position on Goal Setting

As many of you know, Dow Jones is implementing a new performance review system that moves away from numerical ratings and encourages more dialogue between employees and managers. This week's training sessions for the new system, Glint, have prompted questions from IAPE members, which we would like to briefly address.

We want to emphasize two points about this new process, available in Dow Jones information documents and communicated to staff last month in an email from Kamilah Mitchell Thomas:

First, self-assessments will continue to be optional (though management has stressed they are “strongly encouraged”). This has long been the situation for IAPE-represented employees, as we advised in a message to members last July.

Second, entering your own goals is also voluntary. The addition of goals is considered part of “Employee Completes Prep,” all of which is labeled as “optional.”

Similar to our message last year, 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.

If you do choose to engage in this “self-reflection,” please know you are under no obligation to admit any shortcomings. A better approach may be offering suggestions your manager can follow to help you meet performance targets.

We continue to believe that setting expectations and evaluating performance are management functions, but we also want to be clear that this should not in any way prevent you from having constructive conversations with your boss about your future at Dow Jones.

Finally, we would like to remind you that Article XXI of the IAPE/DJ collective agreement states, “The Company and the Union agree that performance evaluations under this Article shall not be considered disciplinary actions.” That’s important -- IAPE-represented employees are always entitled to union representation during disciplinary meetings, and Article XI of the contract requires at least three hours’ advance notice of disciplinary meetings (except “in the event of exigent circumstances”). A discussion of disciplinary action should not occur during a meeting to talk about goals or expectations.

If your manager ever invites you to a disciplinary meeting, please contact an IAPE director or steward, or email union@iape1096.org for assistance.