Committee to rule Thursday on Guild election challenge

The NewsGuild’s independent Local Election Committee is expected to rule Thursday on a challenge from incumbent President Peter Szekely and his Growing Stronger Coalition over results of last month’s leadership election. 

Challenger Grant Glickson and his Members First Slate swept the elections, with Glickson, chair of The Guild unit at The New York Times, defeating Szekely 831-572.

Szekely is seeking a re-run of the election, not a recount, contending that as chair of the Guild’s largest unit, Glickson took unfair advantage of access to more than 1,000 of the local’s 2,600 eligible voters. Szekely argues in his formal appeal that Glickson used email, bulletin boards and other employer resources “to engage in conduct that violated the Union election rules, federal law and the Committee’s own directives.”

Glickson’s response denies or dismisses the validity of each allegation, arguing that he acted appropriately and legally. He also claims that Szekely’s appeal was filed a day late, 11 days after the vote-by-mail ballots were counted at the American Arbitration Association in lower Manhattan.

Szekely’s challenge is dated Nov. 29, 2016. The vote count was Nov. 18, but AAA’s “official tentative certification” wasn’t issued until Nov. 21, according to Szekely’s statement replying to Glickson’s response.  

The Election Committee comprises five Guild members who were appointed by the local’s Executive Committee and are not allied with either slate of candidates.

Thursday’s decision can be appealed to the Executive Committee, with further appeals possible to the local membership, the local’s parent union CWA and ultimately the Labor Department.

Previously the New York Guild’s secretary-treasurer, Szekely became president in 2015 when his predecessor, Bill O’Meara, retired for health reasons.