By: E&P Staff Ahead of Sunday's vote, Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa is urging Newsday editorial employees and drivers to reject a proposed contract that cuts wages by 10% to 15% , increases the work week to 40 hours and reduces vacation time.
In a memo posted Thursday on Romenesko, Hoffa supports the printer and newspaper drivers conference heads who ordered a delay in the vote on the contract, which they called unacceptable.
"I understand that economic times are tough," Hoffa writes in the memo dated Jan. 7 but distributed Wednesday. "But, we do not have to accept woefully inadequate contracts that slash our wages, provide sub-standard working conditions and outsource our jobs, especially from a company that recently gave out millions of dollars in bonuses to its corporate executives"
The contract would affect about 1,100 Newsday employees.
The pact had been set for a vote Jan. 10 by members of Local 406-C. But the union's national conference leaders -- Graphic Communications Conference/IBT President George Tedeschi and IBT Newspaper Drivers Conference Director Joe Molinero -- ordered a delay in the vote, and urged rejection of the contract.
"When you return to the bargaining table, you will have my full support and the backing of the entire Teamsters organization as you seek to reach an acceptable agreement for a new contract with Newsday that respects your contributions to the newspaper and adequately provides for you and your families," Hoffa wrote.
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