January 3, 2007
Who Paid For That?
Friends,
We've heard a lot of positive feedback on the ad we ran in the New York Times on Tuesday, and we thank you for that. More important, the ad helped ensure that your concerns about a quality workforce were part of the nationwide coverage of "Journal 3.0." Publications from the trade magazine Editor & Publisher to regional papers including the Denver Post included IAPE's views in their coverage.
We've also received a couple of questions: "How much was it?" and "Who paid for it?"
The ad was roughly $115,000 — and our parent union, the Communications Workers of America, paid for it as a sign of their support for our bargaining efforts. The CWA has also made it clear there's more money in their coffers if we need it.
At the same time, the Newspaper Guild, the CWA "sector" of which we're also a member, has extended a hefty chunk of additional funding for our bargaining efforts.
All this support makes us stronger and more resilient. It means we can keep our own, steadily growing treasury to finance other costs as bargaining progresses. And it's also a message to Dow Jones that we're prepared to go the distance to win a fair contract.
Thank you for the feedback about the ad. As always, please send us any questions or thoughts that you have as we progress with what could be tough, demanding negotiations in the weeks and months to come.
Steve Yount
President
Jim Browning
Bargaining Committee Chair
IAPE CWA 1096