To commemorate Labor Day, your Guild will begin a month-long information campaign called Know Your Contract; Know Your Rights.

Look for our emails every Monday and Wednesday, or check out our blog: www.stribguild.com.

Our first installment: Paid-Time-Off (PTO) Carryover – Is there such a thing?

The answer: YES! Full-time employees may carry over a maximum of 40 hours, or one-week’s worth of PTO, into the new year.

Part-time employees will have their carryover pro-rated based on their weekly work hours.

Otherwise, all other remaining PTO is forfeited.

That’s Article IX, No. 3.

As always, if you have questions, please contact your Guild Leaders.

Janet Moore/David Chanen

Co-Chairs

Vice Chairs

Myron Medcalf

Jackie Crosby

Kathe Connair

Graydon Royce

Pam Miller

By now, many of you have seen the email from our Publisher regarding the company’s profit-sharing plan, recently approved by the Board of Directors. While we still haven’t seen a payout, this is obviously good news for our members and for all employees of the Star Tribune.

However, we would like our members to know that the plan detailed in the Publisher’s email was a direct result of the Guild’s work in bankruptcy negotiations last year. Your Guild negotiators asked for profit-sharing after the company insisted on deep cuts to our pay and benefits. A few days later, the company announced a profit-sharing plan for all employees, once the company exited bankruptcy and achieved certain financial goals.

Coincidence? Draw your own conclusions, be we would like to believe this would not have occurred had the Guild not brought it up.

Janet Moore/David Chanen

Co-Chairs Star Tribune Newspaper Guild

We had a fabulous turnout for our Twitter 101 training Wednesday. Thanks to everyone who signed up and special thanks to our instructors, Tom Horgen, Lora Pabst and Wendy Lee, plus Myron Medcalf, who heads our Guild training committee.

If you’d like the handouts from the session, let me know.

Look for more training opportunities from your colleagues in the near future.

In the meantime, here’s a video produced by Wendy on how folks in the Newsroom use Twitter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUbMAVV8lVM

Janet Moore
Co-chair Star Tribune Newspaper Guild

The Guild has initiated a voluntary training program for members that initially focuses on Twitter, but will likely expand into other areas in the future. The basic idea is that we can help each other learn valuable skills.

Here’s our first class, if you’re interested in attending, please email Tom Horgen by Friday, June 25.

Twitter 101: A guide to getting started

Date: Noon, June 30, Large 2 (second floor). Pizza will be served.

Capacity: 25 people.

In the age of social media, the way newspapers gather information is rapidly changing. Twitter is at the forefront of this evolution.

In Twitter 101, we’ll show you why some people are calling Twitter the 21st century’s version of a news wire. This class is all about getting started. We’ll show you how to create a screen name, post “tweets” and “follow” important sources. The class will provide a nuts-and-bolts guide to how Twitter can help any reporter, copy editor, editor or photographer.

Note: This class is for beginners. A second Twitter session for advanced users will be offered later in the summer.

Led by: Tom Horgen, Lora Pabst and Wendy Lee of the Guild Training Committee.

If you have questions or ideas for future classes, please feel free to contact us.

Myron Medcalf/Janet Moore

Guild Training Committee

The Guild has filed a grievance against the company over its directive that employees will be scheduled off and therefore forced to use a PTO (Paid Time Off) day on Monday, July 5, a day that is not being observed as a holiday. Management’s own directive states that July 4 is the “observed” day for the Fourth of July holiday. We have requested a meeting with the company to discuss the matter as soon as possible.

If you have a question, please feel free to contact us.

Janet Moore/David Chanen

Co-chairs Star Tribune Newspaper Guild.

Several of you have asked whether Guild members will be eligible for the 401k match that was announced by the Company late Wednesday. The answer is yes.

The April 24, 2009 Letter of Agreement between the Guild and the Company (No. 7) states Guild employees “will be eligible to participate in the Company’s 401k plan under the same terms and conditions as are applicable to non-represented employees (“independents”) who participate in the 401k plan.”

This was negotiated last spring during bankruptcy negotiations.

ONE MORE ITEM:

Our local, the Minnesota Newspaper Guild, is having one of four annual membership meetings 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 20 at the CWA 7200 Hall, 3521 E. Lake St. in Minneapolis. Beyond the Star Tribune, our local includes members from the Pioneer Press, Finance and Commerce, interpreters from the Hennepin County Medical Center, among others.  All members are invited to the meeting; pizza will be served.

Nominations will be taken at the meeting for Local President, which was left vacant by the departure of Ann Wilhelmy. Our bylaws require vacancies to be filed at the membership meeting with a “nomination and election from the floor.”

We’ll also discuss funding for an impending “Pre-Mayday” Solidarity event at the Strib, tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 30. If you are interested in volunteering to help, contact Janet.

Any questions on either item above, contact us.

Janet Moore/David Chanen

Co-Chairs Star Tribune Newspaper Guild

Here’s a link describing a training program at the Pioneer Press that was initiated by a Guild member. Star Tribune negotiators in 2008 included a similar clause in our contract calling for the union and the Strib to partner with the University of Minnesota for multimedia training in the newsroom. Here’s how it worked out in St. Paul:

http://www.mnguild.org/index.php?ID=7348

A few reminders from our contract:

A word about unpaid FURLOUGH DAYS. You must take two before April 30. If you don’t, you’ll lose them. By then, the company will have already docked your pay.

A word about NIGHT DIFFERENTIAL. Yes, it’s going away, but it’s still here, in part. Through April 30, the night differential will be reduced a third. For the period May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2011, it will be reduced by another third. It goes away May 1, 2011. Regarding the amounts, it’s roughly 3.5 percent of the current daily rate. The exact amounts are in the revised contract (not the peach booklet). Refer to your classification.

If you work after 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for an entire week or more you are entitled to the reduced amount of NIGHT DIFFERENTIAL.

A word about OVERTIME. All time worked in excess of 40 hours a week shall be construed as OVERTIME. So if you work a Monday- through- Friday workweek and you reach 40 hours by Thursday morning, you either get OVERTIME or take the rest of the week off. OVERTIME must be pre-approved by a Manager.

A word about the BUYOUTS. The deadline was Friday at 5 p.m. We should hear who was accepted, if anyone, sometime this week.

Other matters: A Stewards meeting is scheduled for noon March 18 in Assembly A/B. PIZZA will be served. Everyone is welcome.

An APPRECIATION reception will be held for our colleagues who left the Strib this year. It’s Sunday, March 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Broadway Pizza, 2025 N. West River Road, Minneapolis. Thanks to all the organizers for pulling this together.

Janet Moore/Co-Chair

POSITION TITLE: Agweek copy editor
SUPERVISOR: Kim Deats
Scheduled hours: Full time M-F
EMAIL RESUME/APPLICATION TO: kdeats@agweek.com
APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2010

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
Responsible for content, copy editing, headline writing, page layout and production of both wire and staff-generated copy.
Organize material and plan and design individual page layouts.
Compile market information for Agweek markets section.
Edit all copy for style, grammar, spelling, factual errors and appropriate length.
Some Web responsibilities.
Use Associated Press leaf desk to locate AP photos.
Search wires for stories to use for publication, date stories and format them for publication.
Develop a familiarity with the national, regional and local ag scene.
All other duties as assigned by Agweek editor.

QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE:
College degree preferred, but will consider combination of education and previous relevant job experience.
Good typing skills and computer skills a must.
Knowledge of AP style.
Ability to multitask.
Abililty to work in noisy environment under deadline pressure.
Ability to be a team player yet work independently.
Good people/phone skills.
Excel, Quark and Web skills a plus, but not necessary.

 Job opening at AgWeek in East Grand Forks:

Job Details:

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

Receive assignments and reports news leads and tips to develop story ideas.
Gathers, verifies and provides information regarding stories through interviews, observation and research.
Organizes materials, determines focus and writes stories according to prescribed editorial style and format standards.
Builds a rapport with news sources on assigned beats to develop stories and story ideas.
Respond quickly to breaking events in order to produce timely stories.
Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE:

College degree preferred.
Must be self-starter who can function as part of team, but work independently within a team environment.
Adept at managing time and multiple assignments.
Have an interest in and general knowledge of agriculture (prices, policy, trends, etc.).
Strong news reporting/writing skills.
Excellent communication skills.
Creativity.
Detail oriented.
Photography and online skills preferred.
Must have a valid driver’s license with a driving record that is insurable by the company.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 03/01/10

EMAIL RESUME AND PORTFOLIO TO:

Kim Deats
PO Box 6008
Grand Forks, ND 58206-6008
kdeats@gfherald.com

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