April 8, 2005

   

TIMES, TIMES DIGITAL AND WQXR GUILD

MEMBERS VOTE OVERWHELMINGLY

TO PRESERVE HEALTH BENEFITS

Guild members from The New York Times, Times Digital, and WQXR have voted overwhelmingly to maintain the current schedule of their health benefits by diverting their 2005 pay increases to the Guild-Times Benefit Fund, on a pre-tax basis.  Part-timers who do not work a sufficient number of hours to qualify for health insurance under the benefits plan, employees who were in an exempt job before moving into a Guild-represented position and who have continued to be covered by the exempt medical insurance, and Guild-represented employees who are covered by other health insurance, will be able to decline coverage in the Guild-Times Benefits Fund and retain the 2005 raise.

Voting via secret mail ballots, which were counted at Guild headquarters Thursday night, 535 members chose Option 2, authorizing the diversion of the raises, thereby retaining present benefit levels.

There were 64 votes for Option 1, which have retained the pay increases, but would have resulted in significant reductions in benefit levels.

There were 47 ballots that could not be counted because they were not filled out properly.

The union has been contacted by several Times Guild members who are interested in serving on a special committee being formed by N.Y. Guild President Barry Lipton to review any other possible options regarding the health-care plan.  The committee will be named and will begin work shortly.

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04/08/05