First rounds' on us, so come on down

Join us a week from tonight, Friday, Nov. 2, from 7-10 p.m. (or beyond!) at Pacific Coast Brewing Co., 906 Washington St. between 9th and 10th streets in downtown Oakland. No arm-twisting, just a chance to blow off the week’s steam over a beer or three. AND THE FIRST ROUND IS ON US!!!

No more messing around

Members of the St. Paul Guild voted 159 to 6 to ratify a new contract with the MediaNews-brethren Pioneer Press in balloting that began Wednesday and concluded Thursday. The new four-year agreement runs through July 31, 2011.There were some wins and some concessions, but overall the deal is a winner -- because, and only because, we stood up together and said no more messing around.To see the whole deal, visit http://medianewsmonitor.org/news.php?ID=4209.

Saving MediaNews' bacon

Here is a response to MediaNews President Jody Lodovic's comment in Bloomberg about the cost-saving measure of consolidating copy desk editors -- the last line of defense in journalism: "Perhaps Mr. Lodovic was thinking primarily of the Bay Area in California, where MediaNews owns a handful of papers. Surely there, centralizing the copy desk would be a prudent economy."Perhaps not...What it comes down to is an unstated but pervasive belief that quality can be sacrificed without any serious penalty...These papers have to be edited, which is time-consuming and expensive; otherwise, the accumulation of little errors and great ones over time will erode the reliability of the product."That comes from John McIntyre, The Baltimore Sun's assistant managing editor for the copy desk and a past president of the American Copy Editors Society.In other words, copy editors are the ones who "save our bacon" when they're allowed to do their job well.Read the rest of McIntyre’s piece at: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/mcintyre/blog/2007/10/just_sack_all_the_editors.html

This just takes the cake...out of our mouths

To quote an esteemed colleague from a competing newspaper: BusinessWeek's profile of Singleton, our MediaNews maestro, as the savior of newspapers "takes the cake."Newspapers' Unlikely Hero "Ruthless head of a print news empire, William Dean Singleton has become a crusader for efficiency and collaboration as a way to save the industry....denounced within the newspaper industry as a rapacious bottom feeder who buys troubled papers, slashes costs, and foists lousy products on defenseless subscribers...This black sheep is an emerging leader in the fight to save newspapering."Oh, is that why MediaNews President Jody Lodovic told Bloomberg News last week. “Why does every newspaper need copy editors? In this day and age, I think copy-editing can be done centrally for several newspapers.” Right. That comment just speaks for itself. But if you want an answer, read this tale. Then read about how hard they are fighting for newspapering -- profits, that is.

First rounds' on us, so come on down

Join us a week from tonight, Friday, Nov. 2, from 7-10 p.m. (or beyond!) at Pacific Coast Brewing Co., 906 Washington St. between 9th and 10th streets in downtown Oakland. No arm-twisting, just a chance to blow off the week’s steam over a beer or three. AND THE FIRST ROUND IS ON US!!!

Saving MediaNews' bacon

Here is a response to MediaNews President Jody Lodovic's comment in Bloomberg about the cost-saving measure of consolidating copy desk editors -- the last line of defense in journalism: "Perhaps Mr. Lodovic was thinking primarily of the Bay Area in California, where MediaNews owns a handful of papers. Surely there, centralizing the copy desk would be a prudent economy."Perhaps not...What it comes down to is an unstated but pervasive belief that quality can be sacrificed without any serious penalty...These papers have to be edited, which is time-consuming and expensive; otherwise, the accumulation of little errors and great ones over time will erode the reliability of the product."That comes from John McIntyre, The Baltimore Sun's assistant managing editor for the copy desk and a past president of the American Copy Editors Society.In other words, copy editors are the ones who "save our bacon" when they're allowed to do their job well.Read the rest of McIntyre’s piece at: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/mcintyre/blog/2007/10/just_sack_all_the_editors.html

This just takes the cake...out of our mouths

This just takes the cake...out of our mouths
To quote an esteemed colleague from a competing newspaper: BusinessWeek's profile of Singleton, our MediaNews maestro, as the savior of newspapers "takes the cake."Newspapers' Unlikely Hero "Ruthless head of a print news empire, William Dean Singleton has become a crusader for efficiency and collaboration as a way to save the industry....denounced within the newspaper industry as a rapacious bottom feeder who buys troubled papers, slashes costs, and foists lousy products on defenseless subscribers...This black sheep is an emerging leader in the fight to save newspapering."Oh, is that why MediaNews President Jody Lodovic told Bloomberg News last week. “Why does every newspaper need copy editors? In this day and age, I think copy-editing can be done centrally for several newspapers.” Right. That comment just speaks for itself. But if you want an answer, read this tale. Then read about how hard they are fighting for newspapering -- profits, that is.

Keep on knockin’ but you can’t come in…

Management must be sweating it, judging from the latest move to squelch the union campaign. So, John Armstrong announced in an e-mail two weeks ago that management would be coming around to the different BANG-EB newsrooms to talk about our (Guild) outreach efforts. We asked all polite in a letter if we could include a member in these meetings to "discuss the Guild's campaign." It's manaagement talking about our campaign so you'd think they'd invite us. Their response: No. Yo! Big red flag alert... For goodness sake, Armstrong has had his feathers all puffed up about the recent case that forced the disclosure of police records. Is this so different? Or did management come up with a separate set of rules for themselves without telling us simple reporters who are the ones always pushing for more transparency? That just kills me. We usually jump all over someone when they deny us access to information. I don’t know anything else that raises my hackles and suspicions more. Can we hear both sides when it comes to our business? What are they bloody afraid of? That we might actually disagree with them or present a different perspective…like the truth? I totally think they are feeling the heat in our Guild kitchen. I already said it in a recent entry (i.e. rant).But, basically, they started all this hush-hush planning AND management sugar daddy smooching shortly after we launched the One Big BANG: One Guild Universe” campaign, which, I might add, is being led by us BANG’ers and has the support of colleagues at the SJ Merc, Chronicle, Wall St. Journal and other Guild-represented media outlets. (Okay, I just love that reporters are bucking the isolation thing we usually do because we work for competing news outlets.)

Lean, Mean Merc Fighting Machine

Pretty good stuff, the American Journalism Review story about "changing the architecture" of newsrooms -- http://ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4402. It's a pretty serious piece of journalism so a lot of juicy stuff inside, including circulation-to-news staff ratios. Turns out, the Merc is the leanest in terms of circulation vs. news room staff of the ones looked at (the ones making radical changes -- translation: slashing staffing levels and going digital in a serious way), and according to rumors is going to get leaner.Atlanta Journal Constitution: 360,000 circulation vs. 435 News StaffMercury News: 230,000 circulation vs. 200 News StaffTampa Tribune: 218,000 circulation vs. 270 News StaffDeMoines Register: 150,000 circulation vs. 195 News StaffWilmington News Journal: 115,000 circulation vs. 138 News StaffDoes anyone remember an AJR story about the optimal ratio of circulation vs. news staff?

And one more BANG thing...

Now that we are all one big family, it's time to talk about sharing custody.
We want to find out if our colleagues in the new "Bay Area News Group" are interested in creating a bargaining unit to encompass the entire BANG-EB – including ANG as well as the CCT/Hills. We want to make sure the union we've had all these years continues and that all our colleagues have the choice to have a say in our workplace.
In my humble opinion, a progressive company wouldn't interfere in their employees decision about whether we want a voice on the job and a legal right to bargain with the company. No one asked me, or anyone else for that matter, if I wanted to get rid of the union. I like my union, which thankfully hasn't disappeared like an ostrich with its head in the sand.
We're still as plucky as ever and working to ensure management respects its employees' rights, helps make us better journalists and, basically, just talks to us straight. It doesn't have to be contentious and it doesn't have to be MediaNews vs. The Union. We can share the love, people.
Exhibit A: Just in the last two weeks, in both Denver and St.Paul, our union has negotiated multi-year agreements with MediaNews for the right to bargain and numerous other benefits, including securing health care and pension guarantees. (http://www.onebigbang.org for the details of the St. Paul and Denver deals)
Why can't we have protections like these in the East Bay?
At ANG we worked with a hostile MediaNews management pleading poverty for 20 years. Despite all kinds of obstacles, we made progress, including a fair grievance procedure, guaranteed pay increases plus a chance to earn merit raises and many benefits spelled out in the most recent labor agreement.
Anyway, see for yourself the details of the campaign, "One Big BANG: One Guild Universe": http://onebigbang.org or e-mail campaign@onebigbang.org.

Armstrong Feeling the Heat?

Notice all the "positive" management feedback lately?

They never paid our staff so much attention before this union drive kicked into gear. Now they're showering us with attention: some modest and long overdue investments in equipment, the sudden increase in their communication with us...and now meetings about the union campaign at every work site.

What gives, you ask? (OK, I ask...) Clearly the company is feeling the heat of our outreach, even though we're just getting started.

Meanwhile, we're asking for renewed negotiations on a contract to protect our rights to bargain with the company and give us a voice in the future of the expanded BANG-EB. But so far, MediaNews management is refusing to meet and bargain, other than to discuss effects of the consolidation. And, speaking of consolidation, now that we are all one big MNG family, we're looking out for the future -- for all of us -- and looking to have a say in how it turns out. That's what family does, right?

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes as the Mercury News

A "Grade the News" blog entry from Oct. 17 about changes at the San Jose Mercury News since it was absorbed along with the Contra Costa Times by MediaNews:"Those of us who are daily readers of the San Jose Mercury News have had a little more than a year to observe the newspaper since Dean Singleton and his company MediaNews bought the northern California newspapers formerly owned by Knight Ridder. "It is obvious a great deal has changed. Some of the changes have been mostly benign. "Other changes are more harmful. There have been layoffs and resignations. Well-known bylines have disappeared..." http://www.gradethenews.org/blogs/?p=54

BANG BANG Baby

The Guild -- that's us, baby -- gets it done at MediaNews: Denver, St.Paul and, next up, BANG!It's not sign-on-the-dotted line official yet, but after hashing it out for three days the Guild and the Saint Paul Pioneer Press reached agreement late Wednesday on afour-year contract covering 340 employees -- right on the heels of winning the contract in Denver a couple weeks ago.That means raises (guaranteed not just promised) and a bar on layoffs through December 31, 2008. More details to follow, but for now, a membership vote on the tentative agreement will be scheduled for the middle part of next week. More details about the agreement will be provided beginning Friday, Oct. 19. A unit meeting will be scheduledon Wednesday, Oct. 24 to present the agreement and answer questions.Will keep you up to date, but for now, think of this: we are rockin' the MediaNews world.

A Tale of Two Newspapers, or Don't Fool Yourself

The York Dispatch and York Daily Record/Sunday News are two newspapers in a small town in Central Pennsylvania. The papers had been under a joint operating agreement, but when it expired a few years back, Singleton saw to it that the Dispatch (an afternoon paper) was gutted of its reporters, even the librarian. The order came one day that the majority of the newsrooom from the Dispatch would report the next day to work at the Record, going -- with one day notice -- to work for their long-time competitor that had a very different style.The order also was issued that the Dispatch would lose the Sunday News to the Record. The Dispatch was left with eight metro reporters, three copy editors and four upper managerial editors to put out the same paper. All papers are part of Local 38218 although there are three units -- the Record, the Dispatch and the reassigned dispatchers. Negotiations had been done in good faith for years until Singleton took the helm to bust the union first at the Record, and we assume next at the Dispatch. The Record has been without a contract for nearly three years, and members are without an evergreen clause. Thus, the Local has no real method to collect its dues, the members are afraid they'll lose their jobs and the paper is slowing on replacements (as all are these days). It's been difficult to garner support of the members as all have tired of the ongoing battle for a contract and "just want it to be over." As for our brothers and sisters in California, the non members in particular, while still riding the Knight Ridder wave, believe me that the Singleton Tsunami will hit and hit hard. Unless reporters are willing to stick together, recall days when you first started reporting for next to nothing, you will find a deluge of work, the meaningless kind, fewer colleagues to complete work and fewer benefits -- including mileage reimbursement -- to offset all of the expenses (physical, emotional, mechanical).

Just Don't Get Sick

Now that the cold weather is moving in fast, bringing cold and flu season with it, the time seems right to talk health care, or lack of it. MediaNews bosses are. Word is they are considering some big changes in our health coverage _ without giving anyone details ahead of time. Typical: the ones most affected find out last. So far, from what is known, looks like the soon-to-be unveiled plan will be Kaiser, a basic other option, and some kind of extra-plush option. Costs to the employees and families are sure to be increasing substantially. The company is expected to provide a buffer -- a subsidy for those who wind up having to pay increases above a certain threshold for one year. But after this one-year management-designed “get-used-to-it” deal, the subsidy will most likely stop.Oh, but I forgot. Footing the bill for our health coverage won't be so bad with those raises were supposed to be getting -- in a few years. Right. The MediaNews track record on that score speaks for itself. The Guild is insisting on having details of the proposed changes in health coverage and the chance to at least look at options.In the meantime, the Guild has suggested a moratorium on any increased costs or cost-shifting, or cuts in benefit levels and provider options.At least let folks know ahead of time what's coming down the line. That would be a first.

Crying Wolf

I wrote that MediaNews execs were like wolves in sheeps' clothing. Now it appears they have been crying wolf over money matters. If profits are so bad, why did chief executive and vice chairman Dean Singleton pay himself $1.83 million, including a salary of $1,061,250 and a stock award of $484,000?He's not the only one cashing in. See the details on the Media News Monitor Web sitewww.medianewsmonitor.org/news.php?ID=4153Here's a hint: Reveue for the MediaNews Group, the Bay Area's largest newspaper publisher, increased 59 percent, to $1.33 billion, from $835.9 million.

Naked Newspapers and How-To Guides

How the MediaNews Group Destroys Journalism, Jobs, and Democracyhttp://www.araw.org/antiunionnetwork/dean_singleton.cfm:An "American Rights at Work" account of how MediaNews head Dean Singleton has been buying and restructuring (fancy talk for stripping bare in order to turn a buck) local newspapers. Includes a handy, dandy step-by-step Singleton guide for how to bust a union.

Burying the Lede

From a Sept. 11 MediaNews employee update:"And Finally. . .As most of you know, the Newspaper Guild is challenging our decision to withdraw recognition of the Guild as the bargaining representative of the consolidated BANG-East Bay Editorial Division."The Guild filed complaints alleging unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board and is waging a campaign of misinformation in an attempt to block our efforts to move the company in a positive direction in a very challenging economic environment."The Guild claims that our decision to withdraw recognition of the union is illegal. The truth is that we had no choice but to withdraw recognition since it is illegal to extend recognition to a union that represents a minority of employees in a group such as the BANG-East Bay Editorial Division.We have acted fairly and professionally in every respect."We gave union representatives advance word of our intention to consolidate. We are answering in a timely fashion all questions from the union. We are fully cooperating with the NLRB. We remain confident that our decision to withdraw recognition is in full compliance with all applicable law. As always, your comments and questions are welcome."John ArmstrongPresident and PublisherBay Area News Group-East Bay----What he forgot to mention is that months before the union-busting measure, a decertification letter was being circulated by an ANG employee in order to force the issue. It fizzled once the instigator was confronted and word went out about what was up the management sleeve. It wasn't the only behind-the-back tactic. Armstrong also omitted the strategy behind the merging of union ANG and nonunion Contra Costa Times employees. So, right, they are "fully cooperating." Like wolves in sheeps' clothing.

A Sordid MediaNews Tale

http://www.gradethenews.org/2007/bowman.htm"Inside the Inside the Bay Area's newspaper giant" -- a sordid tale on the Grade the News Web site. "The average reader of the Oakland Tribune or Daily Review, or Tri-Valley Herald or Fremont Argus or San Mateo County Times would be appalled or even a little frightened if they knew how we put out those newspapers," said John Bowman, a 31-year veteran journalist who resigned over working conditions under the MediaNews banner, according to the article. A few items mentioned in the story: At the San Meteo County Times building, the heating and air conditioning went without repair for months. Thieves had sawed out the copper hot water pipes and stripped some of the building's wires. Rats had been a problem and maggots were discovered in the women's bathroom. OSHA has been by to inspect.In Bowman's view, the story continues, "the condition of the building is a metaphor for journalism under Dean Singleton, the self-made Denver entrepreneur who now owns almost every paid daily newspaper surrounding San Francisco, San Pablo and Monterey bays."Budget and staffing cuts that are comprimising the ability of copy editors -- the last line of defense in preventing errors in a newspaper -- to do a good job, Bowman said.MediaNews execs Kevin Keane and Pete Wevurski flatly denied Bowman's comments."Wrong on all counts!" Keane declared.For more read:http://penpressclub.org/2007/06/ex-editor-john-bowman-rips-medianewshttp://penpressclub.org/2007/09/former-editor-colleagues-were-told-to

Bay Area News Blues

"We have bought the crown jewels of Knight Ridder" -- MediaNews head Dean Singleton quoted in Paul Farhi's October/November 2007 American Journalism Review article "San Francisco News Blues." http://ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4404Singleton was referring to the San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times, which he had just bought (via the McClatchy company).He called the two excellent papers, which MediaNews execs expected to make better.Or perhaps he meant smaller, Farhi writes in the article that looks at the blows Bay Area journalism recently has taken -- many of them below the belt.Consider this: Less than a year after MediaNews exec Kevin Keane, who is in charge of most of the group's Bay Area papers, promised no layoffs (''addition by addition, not by subtraction" he repeatedly said and wrote in a slew of announcements), the Merc's staff had shrunk by 22 percent.

Read All About It!

John Armstrong, president and publisher of Bay Area News Group-East Bay, was at it again this week.He told Editor & Publisher: "I feel that the combined company can best reach its full potential journalistically by encouraging direct relationships between staff members and supervising editors without outside interference."
To quote an esteemed colleague:
“'Outside interference?' Bull. We’re insiders, baby -- the people who put the papers out every day. In fact, you might note that some of your Guild unit leaders have been here longer than much of the current management…"
The story is online at http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003655923.

Performance Reviews and Pay

Here's what The Guild Update of Oct. 12, 2007 had to say about performance reviews and what they are supposed to usher in: raises.It's like looking for the end of a rainbow.The management’s proposed approach to adjusting pay issues failed to address the issue of ANG employees who are overdue for annual reviews and associated pay raises. We request a summary, for each employee in the bargaining unit, of his or her most recent performance appraisal and recommended merit increase, if any. We understand local managers have told some employees that they were being recommended for raises, or that a manager had “put in for a raise” for some individuals, but that no raise was implemented when the consolidation was announced. We insist that the so-called “consolidation” not be allowed to derail the negotiated process for annual reviews and merit increases. Employees who were due increases are entitled to retroactive adjustments.

From the Questionable Department

"I think the best decision is for the employees to follow the Contra Costa Newspapers model," said John Armstrong, president and publisher of Bay Area News Group-East Bay, in a Friday, Oct. 12, 2007, article by Contra Costa Times reporter George Avalos. http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_7157804Armstrong was referring to why he thought East Bay news workers would be better off remaining nonunion since our mothership, MediaNews, withdrew its recognition of the Media Guild as the bargaining agent for six of the company's Bay Area newspapers."That model," he continued, "relies on a strong relationship, a direct relationship, between the staff membes and their supervising editors."Putting my natural cynicism and snarky remarks aside, Armstrong doesn't bother to mention why it would better to not have a union or what right the company had to pull the union rug out from under members without asking us what we wanted.But his biggest fallacy (defined as a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.) is that the model assumes those editors we would be working so closely with are competent.What if they're not, and who gets to decide?

Addition by Addition

Here's a scoop: raises could be on the horizon for employees of the Bay Area News Group-East Bay (rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?).At least that's what Pete Wevurski said in an e-mail sent Friday to BANG-EB workers.Management is supposed to be rolling out a new performance review process, which is supposed to lead to raises.That move is supposed to be a step in leveling out the pay levels between Contra Costa Times employees and former Alameda News Group workers. But don't hold your breath: "...former ANG employees will recognize an accelerated program intended to close the pay gap over the next two to three years," wrote Pete Wevurski in the e-mail.Now, I hate to quibble, but one of the elemental rules of journalism is that over means above, not more than.Secondly, the wording and promises Wevurski made about the pay and reviews remind me of a promise Kevin Keane made when Dean Singleton absorbed the Contra Costa Times and San Jose Mercury News.More advertising, more newshole, more profits and more reporters, Keane promised. "This is going to be addition by addition, not addition by subtraction," to use his phrase.Right.