Today marks 16 days since The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News would have overwhelmingly won their newsroom union elections. But the National Labor Relations Board postponed all elections as the coronavirus spread across America.
Although more than 90 percent of our newsrooms combined support unionizing, our corporate owner, Gannett, refuses to voluntarily recognize our unions. So, with the voice of nearly every newsroom employee, PBNG has sent the following letter and demands to local and corporate management.
Nick Moschella, Executive Editor
The Palm Beach Post
2751 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
Maribel Wadsworth, Publisher
USA TODAY
Gannett
7950 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA, 22108
Nick and Maribel,
A robust news organization is a must if our community is to successfully navigate the coronavirus pandemic. We have already proven invaluable to sounding alarms about the dearth of testing in our county, and connecting residents to the services they need.
The future holds both peril and opportunity for us to help our readers, their families and their businesses.
The furloughs Gannett announced this week not only threaten to handicap our ability to cover this pandemic when readers need us most, but also continue to put those most affected by the decision at a disadvantage
Because Gannett declined to voluntarily recognize our unions — and both an in-person vote and a mail-in one were sidelined by the contagion — we, the staff of those papers, have been denied a pro-active role in making decisions about our working conditions in these difficult times.
While our newsrooms are not yet recognized as bargaining units, we speak with the voice of more than 90 percent of those who work in them. As such, we call upon Gannett and newsroom management to make the following commitments.
- Voluntary recognition: Maribel has said every employee’s voice should be heard. We agree. More than 90 percent of workers in both newsrooms combined support unionizing. An overwhelming majority have signed union authorization cards and submitted them to the National Labor Relations Board. Rather than spend Company time and money dealing with federal bureaucracy, Gannett can alert the labor board that it wishes to legally recognize the newsroom unions of The Palm Beach Post and The Palm Beach Daily News.
- No staff cuts, pay cuts or future furloughs without consulting our guild: Commit to status quo conditions within The Post and Daily News newsrooms until we can vote since our elections were postponed due to this pandemic. When our unions are recognized, negotiations over workplace changes can be undertaken over these serious measures.
- Hazard pay: Institute a system of additional pay for work requiring employees to engage in close contact with the public.
- Work from home equipment: Ensure all employees, including interns, have the equipment they need to work from home for an extended period of time, including software, monitors, high-speed internet access, cell phones, phone headsets, chairs, desks, notepads, pens, pencils, etc. In addition to work efficiency, take ergonomic effects into consideration in all employee requests for additional equipment.
- Right to refuse assignment: Continue to make it unequivocally clear that no journalists will be punished for refusing any assignment on the grounds of health and safety concerns. No employee or intern shall be obliged to disclose any medical information or other reason for refusal beyond a general health and safety concern.
- PTO: Amend all sick leave policies to the effect that if any employee is unable to work subsequent to:
- reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19;
- confirmed or suspected exposure to COVID-19;
- positive results of a COVID-19 test;
- otherwise subject to isolation in accordance with applicable CDC, state, or local public health guidelines; or
- the above conditions are present in a family member cared for by the employee; then
- the employee shall be placed on paid leave at 100% of salary with no waiting period for up to two weeks, which shall not count against the employee’s normal allotted PTO. In the event of an employee’s personal disability, this benefit may be a supplement to short-term disability insurance providing the equivalent of 100 percent of pay for two weeks.
- Personal protective equipment: As soon as reasonably practicable, allowing for the priority consideration of healthcare workers and evolving health guidelines, ensure that all journalists and interns in the field are equipped with personal protective equipment, including but not limited to: hand sanitizer; disinfectant wipes; alcohol spray, at least 75 percent proof; N95 or KF94 masks; rubber or latex gloves; and hand cream.
- Utility bill support: Commit to a stipend for employees whose expenses have increased because they must work from home, including:
- Internet
- Electricity
- Landline phone
- Mobile phone data
- COVID-19 testing and treatment: In addition to covering the cost of COVID-19 testing, ensure that deductibles for treatment of the disease are waived by Gannett’s insurance provider. If they are not, the company will cover 100% of the deductible. Additionally, if an intern who is not covered by Gannett’s insurance provider requires testing and treatment for COVID-19, the company will cover 100% of the costs.
- Union representation on Gannett’s board of directors: At least one voting member of Gannett’s board of directors must include a NewsGuild representative.