Agreement Reached, Strike Avoided at 'Chicago Sun-Times'

By: Mark Fitzgerald Chicago Newspaper Guild members reached a tentative agreement with the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday afternoon, avoiding a promised strike and allowing for pay increases and health-plan improvements.

The new three-year contract, which was reached at 1:45 p.m. Central Time, calls for a 3% raise for each of the three years. Prior to the new contract, the top minimum salary for reporters with at least five years' experience was $64,000.

In addition to the wage increase, all union newsroom personnel will receive what reporter and union spokesman Scott Fornek characterized as a "signing bonus" of $1,675 to be paid by Jan. 15, 2005.

"This has always been about fairness, this has always been about justice," Fornek said of the agreement. "This [signing bonus] is some restitution for the money we lost. That's all we've ever asked for." He added the circulation scandals and Hollinger allegations of corporate looting were always in the background of the negotiations.

All Sun-Times employees will see improvements in their health plan under the new agreement. Benefits now expand to all domestic partners of all employees, not just union members.

"This is something the newspaper guild has won for all employees at the Sun-Times," Fornek added. He said the union will recommend ratification of the new contract during a meeting next week.