Dow Jones Union Warns: Murdoch Would Cut Jobs

By: Joe Strupp Union leaders representing Dow Jones' newsroom staffers continued their assault on Rupert Murdoch's bid to buy the company that owns the Wall Street Journal with yet another internal memo urging members to oppose the effort.

The memo from Steve Yount, president of International Association of Publishers Employees (IAPE) Local 1096 states that "IAPE exists solely to protect your economic interest at Dow Jones: your job, your benefits, your money. We believe a News Corp. take over would threaten it all. It's our job to do all we can to protect your interest-- do everything we can to save your job -- and if that means we need to round up billionaires to keep Dow Jones independent, then that's exactly what we have to do."

The memo, first posted on the Poynter.org Romenesko site, also discussed ongoing contract talks, with a vow to work toward keeping current vacation, overtime and other provisions and fight any efforts to increase health benefit premiums.

The memo is posted below.

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Friends,

There are some concerns we've heard recently from a couple of members which need to be addressed: Contract bargaining and Rupert Murdoch.

First of all, our number one goal remains the same: A Quality Contract.

We have made every effort to negotiate a Quality Contract-- and we'll continue those efforts, no matter who owns Dow Jones.

We have made it clear from the very beginning that we're interested in a package that'll meet the needs of everyone involved and that we're willing to explore all options. In the meantime, the existing terms and conditions of employment, as described in the latest contract remain in force. The seniority provisions, the due-process disciplinary procedures, the severance packages, premium pay, overtime, shift differential, vacations, etc. Everything except the ability to take grievances to arbitration and, of course, wage increases. (By the way, merit increases are not covered by the contract-- and can be given at any time for any reason, entirely at the discretion of management.)

No matter what happens with the ownership of Dow Jones, IAPE will continue to fight for a Quality Contract. We're not convinced you're willing to take a tripling of health care premiums and a quadrupling of drug co-pays in exchange for a 2.5% wage increase just to have a contract.

As for IAPE's opposition to the News Corp. bid for Dow Jones?

We believe it's in the economic interests of IAPE members for Dow Jones to remain an independent company. The future prosperity of this company-- and the viability of your job-- depends on the ability of Dow Jones to produce content of unquestioned quality. Any threat to that quality is a threat to your job. Just as IAPE warned that the cost-shifting efforts of Rich Zannino posed a threat, we warned that the journalistic reputation of News Corp. posed a threat.

But aside from the journalistic concerns, there's another calculation that threatens your personal bottom line-- your job: With a world wide network of newspapers and broadcasting operations News Corp. already has its own sales force, IT division, support personnel, customer service, payroll and hundreds of reporters around the world. People who are doing the same job you're doing right now-- and probably for less.

IAPE exists solely to protect your economic interest at Dow Jones: your job, your benefits, your money. We believe a News Corp. take over would threaten it all. It's our job to do all we can to protect your interest-- do everything we can to save your job -- and if that means we need to round up billionaires to keep Dow Jones independent, then that's exactly what we have to do.

But the focus has never changed. Everything we've done-- from the accountability on spending to recruitment of stewards to membership meetings to organizing MarketWatch and Harborside-- has been to put us in a stronger position to win you a Quality Contract-- and that effort continues. (Tuesday's Bargaining Update & some progress.)

As always, if you need me, give me a call... or check in on the IAPE FeedBack Page.

Steve Yount
President
IAPE CWA 1096