'Blade' Union Dispute Gets Big Play on Labor Day in Toledo

By: E&P Staff Thousands turned out for the annual Labor Day parade in Toledo, Ohio, on Monday but there was a new twist this year: the simmering contract dispute at the local paper, The Blade.

"From the floats to the marching bands, all the sights and sounds of any other parade were there in abundance," local TV station, WTOL, reported. "Even so, the thing that stood out was all the attention give the Blade's labor dispute. Other unions marched and watched in support as the newspaper's locked-out employees handed out yard signs and visors. Those workers used the parade as a tool -- rallying supporters and sending their message: 'Boycott the Blade!'

"The locked-out employees say all the support for them -- from the sidewalks to the streets -- is overwhelming. And with no negotiations scheduled between the paper and its unions, they say that show of support is what will keep them marching forward."

Blade spokeswoman Luann Sharp told the TV station the paper's management was not surprised by the level of support Blade workers received, since this was, after all, Labor Day. She added that the newspaper's goal is to retain good-paying jobs.

The day before, The Blade, in the midst of a six-month labor dispute with several unions locked out, published the salaries of most of their union workers -- in a full-page ad in the Sunday paper.

The full-page also listed benefits for everyone from reporters to sales people.

According to a report on the Web site for WTOL, "The Blade said it wanted to show readers how 'generous' the newspaper has been to its employees."

The ad related that top scale salaries ranged from $33, 576 for a customer service rep to $59,561 for a copy editor. It also described the benefits package, including pension plan and vacation time.

WTOL reported: "Larry Vellequette with the Council of Newspaper Unions says the salaries of the workers fall far short of the millions of dollars paid to publishers Alan and John Robinson Block each year in salaries and benefits."

Vellequette also said no new talks are scheduled at this time with The Blade.