Media Workers Guild Charges MediaNews with Firing Union Supporters ...

in Illegal Retaliation for Organizing Bay Area News Group-East Bay

SAN FRANCISCO, July 15, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Northern California Media Workers Guild-Communications Workers of America filed unfair labor practice charges Tuesday to protest last Friday's retaliatory firings of organizers and other anti-union actions against the newly formed Bay Area News Group-East Bay unit of the Guild.

The union's charges were filed with the Oakland office of the National Labor Relations Board following the layoff of 29 members of the 230-member BANG-EB bargaining unit, which includes the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune. Among those targeted was Sara Steffens, newly elected chair of the unit and the main Guild organizer in the Walnut Creek newsroom of BANG-EB.

"I think they wanted me out of the newsroom," Steffens said. "They wanted to keep me from continuing to engage co-workers as we push for our first contract and they hoped this would send a message to scare people away from further union activity. But they made a big mistake -- so far it's only made our newsroom understand why it's important to have a contract to protect us."
Guild Representative Carl Hall said the union plans to present evidence showing a "clear pattern of anti-union discrimination" against the bargaining unit. At least 20 of the 29 who were fired had been visibly supportive of the Guild organizing. No active opponents of the unionization effort were let go.

--snip--

The BANG-EB unit voted for Guild representation in an NLRB-supervised vote on June 13 following a 10-month campaign. During the drive, company managers conducted surveillance, held captive-audience meetings, and made no secret of their hostility, threatening to cut benefits and freeze pay if the Guild was voted in.

Union activity is federally protected under the National Labor Relations Act.
The BANG-EB management denied the firings were motivated by anti-union policies.
Representatives of the union met with management prior to the dismissals and presented alternative ways of cutting staff. The Guild did not argue against the need or timing for staff cuts.

Read More: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/media-workers-guild-charges-medianews/story.aspx?guid=%7B5F30B8D4-7455-45A5-B80B-095F62C772D5%7D&dist=hppr