By: Stacy Jones UNION OFFICIALS AT the Independent Association of Publishers Employees may feel heady times are ahead following the organization's alignment with the Communication Workers of America.
But that positive energy has yet to permeate the environment most important to any union and its members ? the bargaining table.
Dow Jones management and the IAPE bargaining committee met Jan. 6, four days after the CWA merger was approved by members. It was business as usual.
"The company said 'no' to everything," commented IAPE President Ron Chen.
According to Chen, the hang-ups rest on four wage issues.
u Pay Increases. The company is offering a 10% increase over three years. IAPE wants 13.5% over three years.
u IAPE wants the sales incentive plan for classified sales personnel to be locked into the new contract. The company wants the option of changing the plan, with 30 days notice, at any time. The plan affects the amount and manner in which sales representatives make money above their base pay.
u The union wants to reduce the sales quota and raise the pay for subscription sales employees. A quota of 3.2 sales per day is currently in place. The company doesn't want any changes.
u IAPE wants New York-based employees producing the Wall Street Journal distributed in Latin America to receive the title and pay of regular Journal copy editors. Dow Jones does not view the employees' work in the same way, said Chen.
Company spokesman Roger May would not verify that such issues were under discussion.
The company is "eager to meet as often and as necessary to resolve this," he offered.
May said the recent affiliation would have no effect on the way Dow Jones approached the union negotiations.
"The issues are the same," May said. "It's not going to change the bargaining process."
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