Protect all Albany Newspaper Guild Bargaining Unit employees at the Times Union

George Randolph Hearst III

Journalists and other media workers are working on deadlines and risking their own health EACH DAY to provide life-saving information to a region sheltering in place. We are asking George Hearst to give us the tools to provide that life-saving information and to respect the work of all his employees and not just a select few.

Please join your colleagues in filling out the "sign this petition section". We will deliver the petition to George Hearst with all the signatures from the Guild Bargaining Unit at The Albany Times Union to show him how important this issue is to us all.


Sponsored by
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TNG-CWA

To: George Randolph Hearst III
From: [Your Name]

We are appreciative of the Times Union’s efforts to ease the burden on employees during this difficult time. The company has taken promising steps to support the safety and wellness of our members during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, we feel more can be done.

In particular, we are concerned that two pandemic-related benefits were made available to some Guild-covered employees, but not others.

We do not believe eligibility for compensation or benefits should be subject to the whims of an immediate supervisor, particularly during a health crisis. Transparent and equitable distribution of these payments/benefits eliminates the risk of bias and favoritism, real or perceived.

In the interest of fairness and equity we are requesting the following support for all Guild-covered employees.

1. A $350 lump sum was dispersed to select Guild-covered employees, described loosely as hazard pay, for working outside the home during COVID-19, but has not been paid to other Guild-covered employees.
Considering the criteria to qualify for this benefit has been arbitrary and inconsistent;
Considering the physical and mental health toll working from home during the crisis has taken on all of our members;
Considering all Guild-covered employees are considered essential workers and can potentially be required to work outside the home in the near future;
We, the undersigned, are requesting a one-time $350 lump sum for all Guild-covered employees as well as the opportunity to apply for this benefit in the future, if circumstances warrant.

2. We, the undersigned, also request consistency in the issuance of cell phone and internet benefits.

Currently, cellular stipends vary across departments, with some Guild-covered employees collecting a $50 monthly stipend and others getting no cellphone stipend at all.

Given that all Guild-covered employees are reliant on high-speed internet and personal cell phones to perform work duties during the pandemic, we, the undersigned, are requesting that all Guild-covered employees receive a $50 cell phone stipend as well as a $75 internet stipend to offset the costs of using personal equipment to perform Times Union work from home.