Journalists react to Post byline strike

By: Burnice Cain and Ryan Fox

Posted: 10/3/02

Protesting methods for wages like picketing, sit-ins and strikes are not the only ways workers can get their point across.
Journalists at the Washington Post have willing withheld their names from articles, photographs and artwork as a way to protest management’s contract proposals when the last agreement expired on May 18.

The "byline strike", which began on Tuesday and will continue through Saturday, will be the third since 1988. Recently, The Post employees staged a two-day byline strike June 5 and 6th this summer, which preempted this protest session.
The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, represents over 1,400 Post employees --most of them journalists and advertising sales personnel.

The two sides are at odds about pay raises, employees' right to save unused vacation time and whether employees represented by the Guild can quit it at any time. Only five bargaining sessions have been held since the contract expired.

So why are Post employees striking? Well, the union wants an average pay increase of 3 % a year since the paper made $230 million in net income, which was reported by the newspaper's owner, the Washington Post Company, in its most recent annual report. Secondly, they don't want their union to be dissolved. As it stands, there is a 30-day period in which employees can either join or withdraw from the Union and management wants this time frame to be year round. The union opposes this measure because it would be difficult to structure a budget around ever-changing membership numbers.

"The company's efforts to undermine the strength and the very existence of the union here are obviously very important to us," said Rick Weiss, a science reporter who is co-chairman of the Guild unit at The Post.

Patricia Dunn, a representative for Post management and vice president for labor relations, said,” Our desire is to sit down with the union, have successful and meaningful discussions, and find common ground. When that happens, we believe an agreement will quickly be reached. No one is helped by further delay.”

Bret Zongker, senior journalism major and editor-in-chief at American University's The Eagle said," I'm impressed by their choice of protest. The only thing a journalist has is his or her name and credibility. They are still performing their jobs and providing a public service while making a big statement. There is a spirit in journalism is that the work is more important than the money, yet I hope they get what they want. "

However, Post management sources, point out that unlike some other newspapers, The Post had not laid off workers in response to the advertising recession that has hit the industry.

The guaranteed pay increases offered by The Post, the Guild says, would average 1.3 percent a year; the first year's payment would be given as a lump sum, which would not be counted in base pay, the figure on which future percentage increases would be calculated.

Erik Wemple, Editor-in-Chief at the City Paper said, "There is merit on both ends. The [median salary] is inflated by all-star writers (meaning columnists and other syndicated writers). But a great number of [employees] get a merit pay raise."
However, Wemple, the Department of Media Writer said, " I don't think [the strike] bites the Post on the ass. It doesn’t hit them in the pocket. But, it does change the complexion of the paper."

While The Post is not protesting on Sunday, a day that generates the highest revenue and circulation for the paper because writers reserve their best work for that day, the possibility looms if an agreement cannot be achieved.
"While we hope we won't have to [resort] to hitting Sunday's Paper, we will if we have too," said Weiss. " We've already asked a lot of our writers."

Contact Burnice Cain and Ryan Fox at District_Chronicles@hotmail.com.