May 7, 2001

 

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

 ON OUR CONTRACT SETTLEMENT

 

            Some members are saying the conversion to a calendar vacation year is going to cost us days off, but to keep the record straight – nobody is losing a single vacation day by the switch from a June-to-May vacation year. There’s just a change in when you’re entitled to take them. 

Under the tentative agreement you’ll get your full vacation entitlement – two weeks, three weeks, four of five weeks - this June 1, which, under the old schedule, would carry you through to May 31, 2001. But, instead of waiting until June of 2002 before you have any renewed vacation eligibility, you’ll get more time on January 1, 2002, 7/12s of your yearly entitlement. If you’re at the level of two weeks of vacation entitlement, you’ll get six days; at the three-week level, you’ll get nine days; at the four-week level, you’ll get 12 days, and if you’re at the five-week level, you’ll get 15 days. 

But then you’re not eligible for renewed vacation entitlement again until January 1, 2002. So, if you haven’t saved some time when you’re vacation was “front-ended,” you’re going to feel like you are short some days in 2002. 

            It’s actually just a matter of budgeting your time. If you don’t use all the days you are granted this June 1, which under the old system, are meant to carry you over through May 31, 2002, you won’t be hurting in 2002. But, because there are people who intend to use their entire vacation entitlement in the calendar year 2001, we approached Bob Temme, Vice President of Human Resources, and looked for ways to ease the vacation crunch during that year. We’ve made considerable progress. 

The company has agreed that you’ll be allowed to carry over personal days from 2001 until 2002. The company has also agreed that you’ll be allowed to use some of your 2003 entitlement early if you want additional time in 2002. This is a practice that some bosses have allowed to happen in the past. But others haven’t. Temme said he’d put it in writing to guarantee it. 

Also, if you work any overtime, you’ll be allowed to take the time in “comp” time and “bank” it until 2002 if you want to. That offer will be put in writing, too. 

And, of course, as always, you’ll be allowed to “carry over” vacation time from one year to the next. The practice at S&P is that you’ve been able to carry it over for one year. 

If you are scheduled to go from two weeks to three, three weeks to four, or four to five, in the conversion year, you will be granted the additional week. 

After 2002, you’re back to full entitlement on a year-to-year basis, so the non-contractual methods of loading up on vacation entitlement will not be necessary. You’ll be back to getting your full vacation entitlement each year – actually six months early – to the budgeting problem will go away.

Pay Raises Definitely Up to Snuff 

Then there’s the matter of the pay raises we negotiated – 16.4% in pay hikes over 51 months. Some people say it’s not enough. Then again, we could have negotiated any amount and some people would say it’s not enough. But it’s more than unions are negotiating generally across the country, it’s considerably better than the Newspaper Guild is negotiating on average across the country and it’s just as good as the Newspaper Guild of New York is negotiating in other contracts here – in fact, it’s on the high end.

Broken down, we get a 4.25% pay hike, retroactive to January 1, 2001. Then on April 1, 2002, we get a 4% pay increase, another 3.75% on April 1, 2003, and 3.5% on April 1, 2004.

Nationally, union contracts have been consistently coming in at between 2.3% and 2.8%. The average increase for higher-paying classifications in the Newspaper Guild, across the country, last year was 2.7%.

In a recent e-mail, an S&P employee said the money wasn’t good enough and theorized that we should have done as well as recent settlements at Time Inc. and Reuters.

Hey, folks, we did as well or better!

Time Inc. got 4% as of February 1, 2001, 4% as of February 1, 2002, and 4% as of February 1, 2003, roughly 12% over three years. We’re roughly 12% over the first three years of our pact. But, the big difference between our settlement and Time Inc.’s, is that only half of their increases are guaranteed. The other half goes into a merit pool and is distributed however the bosses want to distribute it.

Reuters settled for a 4% wage hike retroactive to March 1, 1998, 4% retroactive to March 1, 1999, 4% on March 1, 2000, 3.5% on March 1, 2001 and 3.5% on March 1, 2002. It’s the same ballpark. Only this year, when you get your 4.25% increase, Reuters’ employees just got a 3.5% hike and, next year, when you’re getting a 4% raise, Reuters’ employees will be getting another 3.5%.

Guild-covered employees at the New York Times are getting 2% increases a year.

And compare the tentative agreement to the contract we’re just coming off of. Remember, we’re coming off a past that provided raises of 4%, 3.5%, 3.5% and 3.5%.

The contract proposal we’re putting before you is an excellent one.

Don’t forget, S&P wanted to freeze the salaries of people on the top step of every classification and give you your raise in one lump sum. That amounts to a bonus. It doesn’t help your pension. It doesn’t increase the amount you can contribute to your 401(k). It would cost you big bucks when percentage increases are applied to your base pay in the future. Freezes are not part of this contract.

S&P wanted to freeze the hiring-in salaries and salary levels after one-year of experience. Freezes are not part of this contract.

S&P wanted twice-a-month paydays. That’s not going to happen either.

On the plus side of the ledger, among other things, we’ve got improvements in the area of job security, improvements in the 401(k), a health club subsidy and an agreement that we’ll automatically get TransitChek if McGraw-Hill offers it to its non-union employees.

We managed to get health insurance costs frozen for those who will be moving to the McGraw-Hill Indemnity Plan, improvements in the merit system for those employees who aren’t at the top of their classifications, and an agreement that the company will talk to us about including Guild-covered analysts in the same incentive program that is offered to analysts who are in management, the creation of Senior Copy Editor and Associate Editor positions in Credit Information Services and the possibility of making a Point of Service Plan available to retirees.

           Your Unit Negotiating Committee has voted unanimously to recommend ratification of the tentative agreement.

The ratification meeting has been set for this Thursday, May 10, at 11 a.m. in the 13th floor auditorium at 55 Water Street. Another meeting will be held at 3 p.m. for our members on President Street in Brooklyn.

We urge you to come to the meeting on Thursday and to vote yes to ratify the proposed contract.

 

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