Buffalo Guild Votes On Contract This Week

By: Joe Strupp Members of the Buffalo (N.Y.) Newspaper Guild-CWA are voting by mail this week on a tentative three-year contract with The Buffalo News that includes an annual 2% wage increase, a higher annual pension cap, and a $1,400 bonus for each employee.

The newspaper would continue paying all health-care premium costs, but workers would see a $5 increase in copayments for doctor visits and prescriptions.

Negotiators announced the tentative agreement Aug. 16, but voting did not begin until Sept. 5. Results are expected Friday.

The Guild represents 350 News employees in the accounting, bookkeeping, circulation, classified-advertising, customer-service, and editorial departments.