Directors Wanted

The IAPE Board of Directors consists of volunteer members from across all union-represented areas of Dow Jones. These are your colleagues who work side-by-side with fellow members every day, and they speak for you as representatives addressing all IAPE matters.

Occasionally, vacancies occur on the Board as members are promoted into management or leave the company. Currently, IAPE is looking for members to fill three Board seats: Classification Director - News, Classification Director - Sales/Administrative, and Location Director - Southwest.

If you are interested in filling any of these vacancies for the remainder of this term—ending Nov. 30—or you would like to suggest the name of a coworker you think would be perfect for one of these roles, or if you would like more information about what becoming an IAPE Board member entails, please contact our office.

Heads Up: Texts From TNG
Starting at 5:30 p.m. EST today, NewsGuild members on strike in Pittsburgh will begin texting union members who have previously provided mobile numbers to TNG. You may be on that list.

Texts to members will call attention to the ongoing struggle in Pittsburgh, where members have been locked in a labor dispute since October of last year. Messages will seek support and even subscriptions to the local strike publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress.

Survey Reminder
Thanks to all who have already responded to the 2023 IAPE Satisfaction Survey. We’ve received some great feedback so far! If you have not had an opportunity to submit your survey yet, we’ll keep it open for a few more days. See the link in your email to answer our 23 for ’23

How are we Doing?

The 2023 IAPE Satisfaction Survey

We are trying something a little different today. Contract negotiations with Dow Jones are set to begin later this year, and soon we will start delivery of our usual member surveys seeking input on various contract proposals. Before we do, we would like your thoughts on how IAPE operates as a whole and what we can do to improve.

How satisfied are you with your IAPE experience? How would you describe your IAPE representation? Today, we’re kicking off what we hope will become an annual exercise: the IAPE Satisfaction Survey.

We have 23 questions for this 2023 survey, and we would appreciate your assessment of IAPE as an organization. Your responses will assist your union in improving communications, outreach and performance.

Overall results will be published when the survey concludes next week, but all submissions will remain anonymous unless members choose to identify themselves for follow up contact. Responses to long-answer questions will not be published.

So, tell us: how are we doing?

(IAPE members, see your email for survey links.)

Wednesday: Support the HarperCollins Union

Rally Outside 1211 AOA at 12:30 p.m.

IAPE is a proud supporter of our striking News Corp siblings at HarperCollins. Wednesday will mark 50 days since members of HarperCollins Union, UAW Local 2110 walked off the job. To call attention to their fight for a fair contract, those members will hold a rally outside News Corp headquarters starting at 12:30 p.m.

Any IAPE members working in the office tomorrow are cordially invited to attend. If you have an IAPE t-shirt to wear and you don’t mind short sleeves in 50° temperatures, please feel free to show your union affiliation!

The HC union represents more than 250 employees in editorial, sales, publicity, design, legal, and marketing departments. The union is bargaining for higher pay, a greater commitment to diversifying staff, and stronger union protection. Negotiations started in December 2021 and HarperCollins Union employees have been without a contract since April 2022.

About In-Office Work

IAPE is aware of yesterday’s email delivered to all News Corp staff, “A Note From Robert Thomson” under the subject line, “An Update on In-Office Work.” We especially note this section:

“I am asking the heads of our businesses to consult with their managers, and ultimately all of you, to ensure full compliance with in-office work schedules, so that what exists in theory happens in practice. Those schedules will evolve in coming weeks, but the net result must be that more people return more frequently to our offices. Attendance is an absolute imperative as collaboration and cooperation are priorities for each of our businesses.”

Under the terms of the negotiated agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, “If any departmental plan is implemented or changed to require in-office work and/or to require more days per week/month of in-office work, the Company will provide employees and the union with not less than 45-days’ notice.”

No such notice has been provided to the union.

Currently, “full compliance with in-office work schedules” means reporting to the office on the number of days required by business unit plans negotiated with the union. Nothing more.

Finally, we question the timing of yesterday’s memo from Mr. Thomson, considering that management in the Washington bureau sent the following message to all staff this week: “With this particularly contagious form of Covid going around, we have seen an uptick in bureau colleagues testing positive. Please test yourself regularly before coming to the office; thanks.”

If you have questions about your in-office working requirements, please contact IAPE.

Layoffs, the Day After

Late yesterday, IAPE received a formal notice from Dow Jones of the company’s decision to eliminate 22 union-represented positions via layoff. The effective date for all job cuts is Feb. 10, exactly 30 days after the date of the layoff notice.

The 30-day notice period is a contractual requirement. While many of these affected employees have been asked to cease working immediately, all will still remain on active payroll until their separation dates. Severance pay will be issued in the first pay period after those separations, and extended medical coverage will begin in March.

Severance pay, medical coverage, retraining allowances and outplacement assistance are also negotiated benefits guaranteed by the IAPE contract.

IAPE members are no strangers to position eliminations, as anyone can see from reviewing the union’s records of Dow Jones layoffs. And compared to recent news from other companies, the loss of 22 positions may not seem significant.

Unless you’re one of the 22.

Of the jobs lost yesterday, members ranged from the very-recently-hired to 29-year veterans. Positions were cut from several departments, mostly with assigned working locations of New York or Princeton, but also affecting staff in Chicago and Los Angeles. And while Dow Jones is not required to provide IAPE with details of layoffs affecting non-union staff, we are mindful of media reports suggesting Dow Jones cut between one and two percent of the workforce from its global roster yesterday. Whether those who were impacted by layoffs are IAPE-represented or not, they are our colleagues and our friends, and we are disappointed management has once again chosen to boost its bottom line at the expense of those responsible for Dow Jones’ success.

IAPE is currently reviewing all notices of layoffs for union-represented positions to ensure seniority protections were followed, and to make sure that employees who are eligible to volunteer to resign and receive severance in lieu of their less-senior colleagues are aware of that contractual option.

IAPE is not aware of any additional layoffs to come. If they happen, we’ll be here.

Layoffs at Dow Jones

The union has been informed by Dow Jones management that the company intends to eliminate a number of positions today via layoff. At this time, the total number of jobs, working locations and departments of affected employees is unknown. This does appear to be a global effort, with employees outside the United States also receiving invitations to layoff meetings.

IAPE will keep all members apprised of further developments. As formal layoff notices are delivered to the union, the IAPE website layoff page will be updated. IAPE does not expect to receive formal notices from management until the end of the day.

Under the terms of the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, employees affected by layoff must receive at least 30 days’ advance notice of the company’s intention to eliminate their positions. Similar notice must also be delivered to the union. Layoffs of IAPE-represented employees require payment of severance, extended medical benefits and other post-termination benefits, all guaranteed and protected by the IAPE contract.

Dow Jones is also obligated to follow the rule of seniority when eliminating positions via layoff. Seniority protection is determined by an employee’s hire date, relative to others with the same job title, working in the same department and assigned to the same location. Definition of “department” has caused problems for IAPE in the past.

The union will provide more details as they become available. If you have received an invitation to a meeting to discuss “organizational changes” and you have questions about your status, please contact the IAPE office.

Raises to be Paid Jan. 26

IAPE-represented employees at Dow Jones received a tiny piece of welcome news yesterday: the 0.5% pay increases effective Jan. 1, negotiated by IAPE last year, will be processed and paid with Jan. 26 pay deposits.

Salary adjustments will be paid retroactive to Jan. 1.

Under the terms of the 2022-23 collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, these raises are “applicable only to employees who receive(d) the 4% compensatory increase” paid in September of last year.

As a reminder, there are three forms of mandatory pay raises referenced in the IAPE/DJ contract: the “compensatory” (or negotiated percentage) increase, scale increases for employees paid according to our introductory pay scales, and the minimum dollar increase paid to any employee whose gross salary was less than $52,000 per year as of June 30, 2022.

Only those employees who received the 4% adjustment when raises were issued in September are eligible for this additional pay hike this month.

Learn to be a Steward!
As anyone who has been or needed a union steward knows, volunteer stewards are the backbone of any union. We’re always on the lookout for members willing to join our steward ranks. If you would like to learn more about what being an IAPE steward entails, and if you have a few minutes to spare Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EST, please join us for our next edition of IAPE Steward 101.

To register, please visit the IAPE Events page.

If you are interested in more intensive steward instruction, our international union, The NewsGuild, has plenty of information to share. TNG is hosting a six-part training series for stewards, beginning this week. Whether you’re a first-time union volunteer or a veteran IAPE activist, these sessions are great opportunities to sharpen your skills and also to meet fellow Guild members from across our union.

Details and registration information are as follows:

Jan. 11. 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST - Module 1: Steward Basics
Review the roles stewards play in our union and the best practices for having effective organizing conversations. Register for Module 1 Here

Jan. 25, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST - Module 2: A Workplace Organizer
Discuss how stewards maintain effective organizing structures and assess power in their workplace. Register for Module 2 Here

Feb. 8, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST - Module 3: A Communicator and Educator
Learn how stewards drive the exchange of information and uphold an organizing culture throughout their union. Register for Module 3 Here

Feb. 22, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST - Module 4: A Problem Solver
Discuss how stewards turn workplace issues into organizing issues, then practice planning and evaluating collective action. Register for Module 4 Here

Mar. 8, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST - Module 5: A Union Representative
Build confidence in asserting your rights and contract, then role-play through Weingarten and grievance meetings. Register for Module 5 Here

Mar. 22, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EDT - Module 6: Anti-Harassment Workshop
We'll discuss the impact harassment has on our ability to build power, best practices for upholding an anti-harassment culture across our union, and the resources available to leaders and members. Register for Module 6 Here

IAPE Condemns Actions by Phoenix Police

WSJ reporter handcuffed, detained for doing his job

IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096 strongly condemns actions taken by officers of the Phoenix police department on Nov. 23, 2022 when Dion Rabouin, a reporter from The Wall Street Journal and IAPE member, was handcuffed and detained outside a local bank.

In a Dec. 7 letter to the interim chief of the Phoenix police department, WSJ Editor in Chief Matt Murray called the police response, “an attempt to interfere with Mr. Rabouin’s constitutional right to engage in journalism” and conduct “offensive to civil liberties.”

We agree. No member of the media should be faced with intimidation when doing their job. IAPE supports The Journal in its call for the Phoenix police department to ensure journalists are never subjected to this sort of conduct again.

Happy Holidays!

The officers, directors and staff of IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096 would like to wish all our members a safe and happy holiday season!

The union office will be closed on Monday, Dec. 26 and Monday, Jan. 2 in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. We also plan on checking out a little early tomorrow, Dec. 23 and on Friday, Dec. 30.

Under the terms of the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 will also be considered holidays for IAPE-represented Dow Jones staff in the United States, as “the days celebrated by the United States federal government” for the contract holidays Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Our contract contains similar language for members in Canada. IAPE-represented staff in that country will be out of the office for Christmas and Boxing Day holidays on Dec. 23 and 26. The New Year’s Day holiday will also be recognized on Jan. 2.

Whichever side of the border you’re celebrating your holidays, we hope you’re able to enjoy some well-deserved time off with loved ones. However, if you’re required to work please remember to file for your Holiday Pay!

The collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones requires time-and-one-half for all regular hours worked on a holiday (double-time for extra hours) plus an additional day off in lieu of the holiday or an additional day’s pay.

The contract gives IAPE-represented employees the discretion to choose additional pay over an additional day off for all holidays worked after July 3 in any calendar year. If you are assigned to work on Monday—or, in Canada, on Monday and/or Tuesday—and you want extra pay instead of an additional day off, 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, please contact the IAPE office.

If you are required to work on Dec. 25 or Jan. 1, you are not entitled to Holiday Pay. Due to the “days celebrated by” contract language, noted above, both dates are simply considered Sundays for payroll purposes. However, if Sunday is not a regularly scheduled work day for you and you are called to work on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, you are entitled to comp time or—if you are an overtime-eligible employee—overtime. See our comp time and overtime advisories for details on claiming your extra compensation.

Tomorrow: IAPE 101

IAPE newcomers, when you were hired by Dow Jones, were you surprised to learn that you were a union-represented employee? Have you ever wondered about your rights as a union member? If you have a half-hour to spare tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. EST, please join us for the next installment of IAPE 101 and see if we can answer your questions.

IAPE 101 is a Zoom presentation addressing the basics of IAPE membership: What is a union? How does IAPE function? How does IAPE fit into Dow Jones? What are the benefits of union membership? All these questions and more will be covered in this class, perfect for those brand new to IAPE, or even for veteran members interested in learning more about their union. All members are welcome; visit the IAPE Events Page and register today!