October 12, 2016
Update: No Update
Bargaining Sessions postponed Friday, Tuesday — Talks to Resume October 18th
IAPE members looking for updates from the contract bargaining table will have to wait a little longer. Citing "internal discussions," Dow Jones management representatives canceled negotiation meetings last Friday and again yesterday.
A separate negotiation session for the press room crew at the Dow Jones printing plant in Bowling Green, Ohio — scheduled for tomorrow afternoon — has also been postponed.
Union and Company reps are scheduled to return to the main contract table next Tuesday, October 18th, in what will be the third week of working without a contract for IAPE members. Bowling Green bargaining will resume the following Thursday.
In the meantime, IAPE members can review all current proposals on our bargaining update page.
Meanwhile . . .
In other IAPE news, long-time Union Director Tricia Corley has been appointed IAPE Vice President, filling the vacancy left after former VP Jeff Bennett left Dow Jones in August. Tricia is a Project Coordinator in South Brunswick and has been a Technology Classification Director on the IAPE Board since 2009.
IAPE Bylaws state that vacancies for Vice President "shall be filled by appointment of the Board of Directors on recommendation of the Executive Council" if less than 18 months remain in a term of office.
IAPE elections will be held again next year.
Currently, there are three vacancies on the Union Board of Directors — the Technology Director position held by Tricia until her appointment as Vice President, and Location Director positions for our Northeast and Canada regions.
Budget Approved
The IAPE Board of Directors has approved a budget for the Union's 2016-17 fiscal year which began October 1st. The new budget projects a small surplus while maintaining spending levels necessary to service a cross-continent membership. Among new items for 2016, IAPE Directors approved a monthly donation of $500 to the strike fund for fellow NewsGuild members in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Members of the HTU have been on strike against their employer, The Halifax Chronicle Herald, since January of this year.
As required by law, IAPE auditors will begin their annual review of Union finances on November 1st.
Board of Directors To Meet In Jersey City
The IAPE Board will meet again in Jersey City, NJ on November 12th. Any IAPE members in the area are welcome to attend the meeting and address the Union Board with any questions or concerns. Please email union@iape1096.org for a meeting time and location.
Other IAPE Committees Still Meeting Monthly
Even though we are working without a contract, other IAPE committees still meet with Dow Jones representatives every month. The Union Classification Committee reviews job titles and job descriptions to ensure IAPE-represented employees are properly classified and paid accordingly. The joint IAPE/DJ Labor/Management Committee resolves problems in our workplaces before they reach the grievance stage, and our Grievance Committee addresses alleged contract and labor law violations.
If you have a problem you think one of our committees needs to discuss with Dow Jones, please contact the IAPE office or one of your local Union Directors.
Trivia Contest On Hiatus
Finally, it is with regret that we announce the suspension of our weekly trivia contest email to all IAPE members. Frankly, we've run out of questions. Like many of you, we thought we would have new contracts in place by now — and that we would be able to quiz members on new contract provisions. Sadly, Dow Jones management's intransigence requires us to keep pushing for contract pay increases in excess of 2% per year, and means we won't be playing IAPE trivia for a while.