CONTRACT RATIFIED!

Record turnout approves new four-year deal

IAPE members have voted by an overwhelming margin to approve a new contract with Dow Jones & Company.

Following the conclusion of a weeklong online voting period, election provider TrueBallot Inc. certified that IAPE members accepted a tentative agreement by a 97% margin. 1,042 union members voted to approve the deal, compared to 29 members voting to reject.

Nearly 81% of eligible IAPE voters cast a ballot during the ratification process, a new record-high turnout for the union.

“Visible membership support and participation were the only reasons IAPE was able to negotiate this industry-leading contract,” said IAPE President Jodi Green. “It is no surprise our members continued to speak loudly during ratification, and voted in record numbers.”

IAPE informed company officials of the election results earlier this morning.

With a new contract in place, Dow Jones will soon begin processing combined year one and two pay increases of 8.00%, retroactive pay increases of 4.25% with minimum payments of $4,250, and ratification bonuses equal to the greater of $1,000 or 1.00% of pay.

Additional raises of 3.75% will be paid on July 1, 2025 and July 1, 2026. When introductory scale increases and minimum dollar pay raises are factored in, the new contract will increase pay for IAPE-represented employees by 16.43% by the time it expires on June 30. 2027.

The new agreement also increases shift differential payments and standby pay rates by approximately 11% and makes more members eligible to sell one week of vacation back to the company each year. Covered employees working in the United States will also receive the Day After Thanksgiving as a paid holiday.

The union preserved its annual $700 physical fitness reimbursement, eliminated a distinction between primary and secondary caregivers eligible for paid parental leave and adopted a new bereavement leave policy providing five days of paid leave without any familial connection to the deceased.

IAPE successfully beat back several company proposals to increase health insurance plan copayments, deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket limits. Dow Jones achieved flexibility to increase insurance plan premiums for employees with dependents in 2025 and 2026, and for all staff in 2027, but the union preserved a freeze on premium rates through the end of 2024.

IAPE also negotiated a cap of three in-office working days through Dec. 31, 2024.

New seniority rules will create larger departments for purposes of increasing job security for longer-tenured employees, and News members working in remote bureaus, with three or fewer will be included with the rest of their department, wherever their manager is situated, when determining seniority protection.

Seniority windows have been increased to three years for new hires and two years for members with more than three years of service. When Dow Jones elects to eliminate positions within these windows, but outside of strict seniority order, it will be required to pay an additional two weeks of severance pay.

The company will also be required to pay four weeks’ extra severance when positions are eliminated as a result of the introduction of new technology and will be required to provide additional notice to employees and the union when new technology or artificial intelligence makes layoffs necessary. Dow Jones will not be permitted to use voice recordings to create AI-generated speech without an employee’s consent.

A contractual exclusion for Wall Street Journal Photo Editors, who voted to join the IAPE bargaining unit in 2023, will be removed from the new agreement. Several other contract language modifications were achieved, including a requirement for the company to notify both the employee and the union at least two hours in advance of a disciplinary meeting, or with one hour’s notice when Dow Jones is able to confirm the availability of an IAPE representative.

IAPE and Dow Jones representatives will continue to meet to transform the tentative agreement into final contract language. A new collective bargaining agreement document will be distributed as soon as it is available.

Last Chance to Vote!

Ratification results to be announced Monday

IAPE members who have not yet voted on the union’s tentative contract agreement have until Saturday at noon EDT to cast their vote.

According to TrueBallot Inc., IAPE’s election provider, nearly 75% of all eligible members had voted through the end of the day Thursday. That rate of return has already surpassed the union’s previous record-high, 67.4% of all members during ratification for the 2022 collective agreement.

Invitations to vote via TrueBallot’s online system were delivered on Monday to Dow Jones email addresses on file for all eligible members. If you would like to vote before tomorrow’s deadline but you misplaced your ballot, or you don’t believe you received one in the first place (TIP: check your spam and Proofpoint filters!), email union@iape1096.org to request a replacement.

What’s Next for IAPE?
Results of the contract ratification vote—expected to be announced to members on Monday morning—will determine the union’s priorities for the foreseeable future. If IAPE members vote to accept the agreement, a new contract with Dow Jones will be in place through June 30, 2027.

IAPE representatives are already planning future Contract 101 sessions to continue explaining all the provisions of a new contract—what’s changing, what isn’t, and how members can use contract terms to their advantage.

We’ll have many opportunities for IAPE members to get involved with their union, including committees and working groups and social events just to name a few. We’ll maintain the successful IAPE Slack as a space for union members to communicate and share updates, and we’ll have more in-person events and ways for members to connect with union officials, staff, board members, stewards and—most importantly—each other.

Stay tuned for updates. To get involved in planning IAPE activities, send a note to union@iape1096.org.

Happy Holidays!
Best long-weekend wishes to IAPE members north of the border, who will celebrate Canada Day on Monday. Here in the United States, we’re all looking forward to Independence Day next Thursday, both for the holiday itself, and because that’s the date our contract’s Holiday Pay provisions change through the end of the calendar year.

Whenever an IAPE-represented employee is required to work on a contract holiday, they are entitled to 1.5X pay for all regular hours worked and 2X pay for hours in excess of a regular day. This rule applies to all employees, regardless of overtime status.

In addition to the time-and-one half or double-time pay, members working on a holiday are also entitled to an additional day off to be used later in the year, or an additional day’s pay.

For all holidays after July 3 in any calendar year, the discretion to choose the extra day or extra pay belongs to the employee.

So, whether you celebrate your holiday on Monday or Thursday, if you are required to work, make sure you file your Holiday Pay claim in Workday. If you work any holiday between July 3 and Dec. 31, please also remember to let your manager know whether you want extra time or extra cash. The choice is yours!

Ballots Have Been Emailed!

Questions? Join our Contract Town Halls this week!

Happy contract voting week, IAPE members!

By now, all members eligible to vote on the 2024 IAPE/DJ tentative agreement for a new contract should have received an email invitation from TrueBallot Inc. with a link to an online voting page. If you have not received a ballot, but believe you should have, contact union@iape1096.org.

If you still have questions about the tentative agreement or the voting process, we invite you to join us this week for Contract Town Hall sessions. Members in New York can join IAPE reps today at 4:00 p.m. EDT in the Central Park conference room. See IAPE Slack for an optional remote link.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the IAPE office will host additional remote town hall meetings for members in all locations. These sessions will be conducted via Zoom, and require advance registration:

Sign up for Wednesday, June 26 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Sign up for Thursday, June 27 at 12:00 p.m. EDT.

As always, information and answers are also available via the union inbox at union@iape1096.org or by contacting members of the IAPE Board of Directors.

2024 Contract Ratification

The Bargaining Committee and the Board of Directors have both approved a tentative agreement for a new contract with Dow Jones, and now it’s your time to decide. Our 1,400 members will have the opportunity to vote yes or no on this agreement. The Board and Bargaining Committee think this represents the best deal possible from Dow Jones and encourage you to vote “yes.” If a majority of members vote Yes, the contract goes into effect; a majority No vote means the union will have to return to the bargaining table.

Important Ratification Dates: 

• Ballots sent out to members’ Dow Jones email: June 24, 2024

• Ballots due back: June 29, 2024 by 12:00 p.m. EDT

• Results announcement: July 1, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EDT

For more information, please check out the Contract Summary and the Memorandum of Agreement.

Contract 2024 – Now You Decide

IAPE’s board of directors has approved a tentative agreement for a new contract that was hammered out late Friday, June 14, 2024 between Dow Jones representatives and our bargaining committee. Now it's up to our 1,400 members  to approve the deal. We recommend you vote “yes.” 

Hundreds of members joined open bargaining, participated in phone banking, signed the walk-out pledge, attended actions like lunch-ins, lunch-outs and picket sign preparation, as well as changing avatars, backgrounds and wearing their IAPE t-shirts. Your support gave our bargaining team the leverage to win an industry-leading contract. It was the credible threat of a work action that made this deal possible. 

The end result of one year and one day of negotiations is a hard-fought win. Many sections of the contract were revised and new sections added. But, the largest gains were made in compensatory increases. 

• 2023-2024 Combined - 8%

• 2023 Retro payment of 4.25%, with a minimum of $4,250

• Lump sum bonus of 1% of salary, with a minimum of $1,000, paid upon ratification of the contract

• 2025 - 3.75%

• 2026 - 3.75%

By the end of this contract, we will have addressed high inflation of past years and guaranteed wage growth in excess of expected inflation.

The company started negotiations seeking to eliminate the cost of living adjustment provision in our contract. We successfully held them back. They also wanted to significantly increase health plan design costs and we were able to keep those minimal. Ensuring our members are earning wages that keep pace with the cost of living while working in the world’s most expensive cities will demand vigilance, and your engagement, in every contract cycle. 

We had to offer concessions and compromises along the way, including a raise in premium costs for members with partners and dependents. We are hoping the ratification bonus will help offset those costs. Additionally, we were unable to get the full AI protections we were proposing. However we did get extra severance for those laid off due to AI, as well as 45 days notice instead of the usual 30. And we established that as AI becomes a bigger part of the business, conversations will remain open between IAPE and DJ.

Overall, we think this represents about the best deal possible without a strike. We have made important strides in a number of areas that will make a real difference for members.  There is more work to be done and IAPE will continue to fight for even better contract wins in the future.

We will be sending information on the ratification vote shortly and hope to get the vote done before the new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2024. Please stay tuned for details for meetings to discuss our new agreement. An outline of our achievements are below. 

Summary of Achievements and Highlights: 

Other compensation highlights:

• We negotiated an increase to the minimum scales by 5.75% effective July 1, 2024

• Members whose job classifications are moved to a higher tier or whose jobs migrate to a new title without a significant change in duties will retain their experience credit/scale step in the higher Tier. 

• IAPE and the company agreed upon multiple job classifications being moved to higher tiers. Affected employees will be migrated to the appropriate scale step according to the Title/Job Migrations procedure. 

• Shift differential has been increased by 11% (to $155/wk)

• Stand-By Pay for overtime eligible employees has been increased to $240/week.

• Stand-By Pay for overtime exempt employees has been increased to $285/week.

• Vacation sell-back has been increased from $1,250/wk to $1,500/wk (An Employee who is entitled to at least three weeks of vacation and earning less than $1500/wk may sell back one full week of vacation for cash each year.) 

Health Care and Benefits

• Health Care Plan Design – IAPE held the company to small increases in deductibles, copays and out-of-pocket maximums. (See Exhibit A in the MOA for exact numbers)

Job Security

• The Company has agreed to fundamentally change the definition of a “Department” in the contract to remove the references to “department heads” and to instead create a list of named departments designated by the Company as distinct functional/operational groups. This will increase the number of employees in a given department, which in turn strengthens seniority protections.

• The location of an Employee assigned to work out of their residence, or News Employees in a location where there are three or fewer employees in the same title who are assigned to report to a manager or managers located in a bureau different from that in which the Employee is physically located location, (“telecommuters”), shall be the location of the manager who supervises the telecommuter’s work, except for telecommuters whose assignment to cover a specific geographical area requires them to maintain a residence in that area.  In such cases, the Employee’s location for purposes of this Article shall be their residence and the Employee will be notified that their residence is their location for the exercise of seniority. This proposal will strengthen job security protections for employees working remotely.

• IAPE accepted the company’s proposal to increase the seniority equivalency for employees with more than 3 years of service to 2-year bands. For example, if someone was hired in 2010, their seniority would be considered the same as someone who was hired in 2008. IAPE was able to negotiate an out-of-seniority severance premium of 2 additional weeks for someone that is part of the 2-year band, but has more seniority than the employee who was not laid off. 

• IAPE negotiated a raise to all retraining allowances by $1,000

Miscellaneous

• Artificial Intelligence - IAPE secured protections that prohibit the use of voice recordings in connection with AI-generated speech without the specific consent of the employee. 

• Additionally, layoffs resulting from the introduction of Artificial Intelligence systems or tools shall be subject to: (i) a 45-day notice period; (ii) an extra four weeks of severance pay; and (iii) for any layoffs affecting more than ten employees, the Company shall consult with the union for an additional two weeks before the first day of the 45-day notice period.

• Removal of photo editors from the list of excluded titles. These employees voted for IAPE representation and are now part of our union.

• Return to the Office - The Company will continue to provide not less than 30 days’ advance notice to the affected employees and to the union whenever there is a change to the in-office work expectations for any group. The current maximum 3-days-per week in the office rule shall continue to apply to hybrid employees at least through Dec. 31, 2024.

• IAPE agreed to a change in the notice of disciplinary meetings from 3 hours to 2 hours (except in the instances of exigent or emergency circumstances). IAPE also negotiated that both the union will be included on notices of disciplinary meetings. Additionally, the Company will provide a copy of any disciplinary notice to the union if a union rep attends a meeting. 

• IAPE also negotiated that discharge notice meetings will be considered as “disciplinary,” at which union represented employees have the right to have a union rep present. 

• Additional language has been added to the CBA that discrimination and harassment of employees based on gender identification and expression is prohibited.

After One Year and One Day, IAPE & Dow Jones Agree On A New Contract

PRINCETON, NJ -- The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE), Local 1096 of The Newspaper Guild – Communications Workers of America, has reached a tentative agreement with Dow Jones & Company on a new four-year collective bargaining agreement covering 1,400 employees across the United States and Canada.

The deal, agreed to by representatives of the Union and the Company, has been approved by the Bargaining Committee and the Board of Directors of Local 1096 and will be presented to IAPE members for a ratification vote later this month. The IAPE Board recommends a “yes” vote.

The new agreement, covering the period from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2027, provides:

• A salary increase of 8% effective July 1, 2024 

• Retroactive pay equal to 4.25% of salary as of June 30, 2023, with a minimum of $4,250.00

• A ratification bonus equal to 1% of salary as of June 30, 2023, with a minimum of $1,000.00

• A salary increase of 3.75% effective July 1, 2025

• A salary increase of 3.75% effective July 1, 2026

These pay increases, amounting to 16.25% over the duration of the contract, address high inflation of past years and guarantee wage growth in excess of expected inflation. Additionally, IAPE was able to secure retro payments for members that were laid off in June, including those from U.S. News and Commerce. This was a hard-fought win, with IAPE members coming to the brink of a walkout for the first time in the 80-plus year history of the union.

The tentative contract includes revised and new sections in the areas of job classifications and wages, an increase to stand-by pay, a raise in retraining allowances and outplacement services, extensive department changes which strengthen job security, an increase in the minimum weekly salary for vacation week sellback and much more.

Some agreements over Union proposals have already been implemented in 2024 including  coverage of out-of-network mental health as in-network reimbursement percentages, an increase in the number of bereavement days, removal of identity restrictions to qualify for bereavement leave, and the removal of the distinction between primary and secondary caregivers in the parental leave policy.

The tentative agreement is effective through June 30, 2027, should our members vote to ratify. IAPE will work to keep the momentum going to improve protections and working conditions.

In Solidarity! 

*            *            *

The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees represents 1,400 journalists, technology staff, sales professionals, and administrative, production and support staffers at The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's, Factiva, and other DJ products.

Joint Statement: IAPE and Dow Jones Agree To Four-Year Contract

New York, NY (June 18, 2024) — The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE), Local 1096 of The NewsGuild - Communications Workers of America, and Dow Jones announced today they have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year collective bargaining agreement covering 1,400 employees across the United States and in Canada. The deal, tentatively agreed to by representatives of the Union and the Company, has been approved by IAPE’s Board of Directors, and will be presented to union members for a ratification vote later this month. Once approved, the agreement will run through June 30, 2027, and will end a year of bargaining between the two sides.

The tentative agreement (succeeding the prior agreement that expired on June 30, 2023 and was extended through March 31, 2024), provides a combined minimum 8.0% wage increase for the first two years of the contract effective July 1, 2024, as well as a lump sum payment calculated as 4.25% of pay or $4,250, whichever is larger, representing retroactive pay for the period from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, for all eligible IAPE employees.

Additionally included is a lump sum Ratification Bonus equal to one percent (1%) of base pay (based on pay as of June 30, 2023), for eligible employees with a minimum payment of $1,000.00. The remaining wage increases are 3.75% effective July 1, 2025 and 3.75% effective July 1, 2026. The tentative agreement also provides for a 5.75% increase to the minimum scales effective July 1, 2024, including a new $72,800 minimum scale for Reporters.

In addition to wages, the tentative agreement includes an extension of the Company’s health insurance plan with a freeze of health insurance premium rates, deductibles, copayments and other plan terms for all IAPE-represented employees in the United States through 2024. Premium increases and plan design changes are capped through 2027 under the terms of the new agreement. Among other provisions, the agreement also provides for enhancements to mental health coverage and parental leave benefits, as well as one additional paid company holiday.

Press contacts:

IAPE TNG/CWA Local 1096: jodi.green@iape1096.org

Dow Jones: Ashok Sinha — ashok.sinha@dowjones.com

Yes, We’re Still Talking

After day-long, off-the-record negotiation sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, IAPE and Dow Jones have decided to keep talking.

While we still are not able to share details from this week’s talks, we can confirm that bargaining teams for the company and the Union will resume negotiations this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Today’s meeting will be a virtual session.

Even though IAPE and Dow Jones reps are still negotiating, members who have not yet signed on to our walkout pledge are encouraged to do so. Thanks to everyone for your support!

IAPE Board to Vote on Strike Hardship Fund

In light of a potential walkout by IAPE-represented employees at Dow Jones and the resulting financial hardships that some members may face, the Union is taking proactive measures to support members as we stand together.

Today, IAPE President Jodi Green filed a formal motion with the union's Board of Directors to allocate funds from IAPE reserves in order to establish a Strike Hardship Fund. The Fund will provide crucial assistance to our members who experience docked wages due to their participation in authorized work stoppages. It was in anticipation of such contingencies that members voted overwhelmingly in 2020 to lift the cap on monthly dues.

Members in good standing will be eligible to receive hardship benefits if they honor a voluntary walkout pledge and participate in a work stoppage, or observe and respect picket lines established by the Union following a strike authorization vote.

The motion was formally seconded by Northeast Location Director Frank Matt. The IAPE Board will vote on the motion during its next regular meeting, scheduled for Monday, June 17.

OTR Bargaining Starts Today

IAPE and Dow Jones bargaining teams will meet in Princeton this morning for the first of two off-the-record contract sessions scheduled for this week. Negotiations will begin today at 11:00 a.m. EDT and will resume on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. EDT.

Wednesday has been set aside as a planning day for union and management committees.

While IAPE will not be able to share details or proposal documents from off-record meetings with Dow Jones, members will receive a full update of respective bargaining positions once the union and management decide to resume on-the-record talks.

IAPE Action Planning Continues
While IAPE negotiators are locked in a meeting room in central New Jersey, union Contract Action Team (CAT) members will be ramping up plans for public actions to apply sustained pressure on Dow Jones. IAPE volunteers have been busily calling and emailing members to encourage participation in union mobilization efforts.

Included in those: a voluntary walkout pledge and an open letter to management demanding answers about News Corp’s deal with OpenAI.

With over 1,400 IAPE-represented employees to contact, the CAT could use some help! All members are welcome to participate in these union outreach efforts. Email union@iape1096.org to join the CAT!

Thursday: Outreach Follow Up and More!
This Thursday, June 13, CAT members will meet to talk about our ongoing outreach and phone banking conversations. We want to know what you've been hearing, what's been working—as well as the unexpected questions and challenges you've encountered, so we can figure out how to work through them. We'll also be going over techniques to move our colleagues to action as we head into the push for our walkout pledge!

This session is open to all IAPE members. See the link in your email to register and receive your meeting invitation.