AFP Union Wins Settlement in Labor Grievance

By: Jay DeFoore Agence France-Press employees will share in a settlement totaling close to $500,000 after the Washington Baltimore Newspaper Guild and AFP resolved a grievance relating to the subcontracting of jobs to Getty Images.

The guild had opposed AFP's decision last year to have Getty take over much of its domestic photo operation, which resulted in the loss of six positions within AFP's photo department. AFP's partnership with Getty also barred AFP guild-covered sales staff from selling AFP photos in North America.

"We are no longer at war with AFP," says Rob Lever, AFP's guild representative. "It was a long and difficult situation, but I feel pretty much satisfied we came out OK."

Between the latest settlement, reached March 4 just before the case was to go to arbitration, and an earlier settlement of a related grievance, at least two jobs have been or will be restored and a third could be added. In addition, all current photo and marketing department jobs are guaranteed through 2006.

Lever says the guild was able to stop AFP from dismantling its Washington, D.C. photo desk, a direction the company "seemed to be moving in." The company will also hire one desk staffer in D.C. and another in Getty's New York office.

For AFP's 13 U.S.-based staff photographers, the deal means that they will once again cover major news and sporting events that were relinquished last year to Getty. AFP is now committed to covering about 30 events in all, including the Super Bowl, The Masters golf tournament, major horse racing events, political conventions and entertainment award shows like the Grammys and the Golden Globes.

Still, AFP will not cover events with the same capacity they had in the past. AFP no longer works with freelance photographers; instead, it supplements its coverage with photos from Getty.

AFP North American Director Eric Scherer called the decision not to send a staff photographer to last year's World Series "a mistake," but he expressed his hope that the settlement will get "everyone working in the same direction."

The guild's settlement has been warmly received by AFP staff even though many opposed the Getty partnership from the beginning and would like to see AFP return to full production. Lever says that's not likely to happen, at least until the end of this year, when either Getty or AFP could opt out of the deal.

Scherer says AFP is pleased with the Getty partnership.