From reading what Berserker posted over at Toledo Speaks Out and Scabbard for the Blade it appears there are several employees who don't want to be a part of a Union anymore and are trying to get a Decertification vote to happen.
This adds another factor to the current situation with the Blade and the Unions. How many employees want the Unions out isn't clear. Yet it has to have an influencing factor in the ongoing negotiations.
The Blade, reporting on the new lockouts doesn't address the main claim of the Toledo Newspaper Guild which is that the Blade is trying to undermine the Unions and to destroy the rights of its employees to participate in union activity
One wonders if the Toledo Newspaper Guild and a Graphics Communication local of pressmen will be locked out. The Guild represents reporters, photographers, copy editors, advertising sales people, and circulation workers, and the Graphic Communication union represents people who run the machines that print the newspaper. Or if the lock outs will only happen with employees that the Blade feels they can replace with temporary workers. It has to be stressful on these Blade employees to not know if they are going to have a job on a day by day basis.
I've never gone on record as being a rabidly pro-union person, and I do believe that workers should have the right to Decertify if they feel their union representation is not needed. Yet, if this is going to happen it should be because that's what the employees truly want as opposed to being pressured by Management to do so. In this case we have at least three different views as to what is happening. All we can predict is that it doesn't appear this is going to end any time soon.
Toledo isn't the only part of Ohio with newspapers making the news. From reading Pho's Akron Pages, the Arkon Beacon Journal just laid off quite a few of their staff. Also as Pho pointed out, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is offering buyouts to cut staff.
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2 comments:
Lisa,
Decertification would play right into Block's plans.
Nothing on the Blade's side of this situation is accidental or happening by chance, this has been well thought out and carefully scripted months ago and the script outline began taking shape right after the last contract had been signed.
I feel for the employees and their families, for being used as pawns in this orchestrated chess game.
The part that I find unconscionable is the cold unflinching stance by the Blade, as enumerated by their mouthpieces.
I see no hope for a reasonable outcome as, for that to happen, there must be communications on and from both sides; the Blade's side is merely reading from a script.
I (sadly) predict that the Blade will either break the unions or jettison the blade from its holdings.
The funny thing about this is JRB’s intense hatred of the unions while running a very pro-labor paper. (Actually funny is a bad choice of words, interesting might have been a better choice.
More comments on this are posted on my blog.
the only thing unions care about nowadays is dues. less members equals less money equals less income for union presidents. all of their rhetoric is geared simply to increase or maintain status quo regarding their money. jimmy hoffa days are gone forever, new world new deal new economics, move on
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