Sign Up for April 23 Town Hall Q&A

We heard you during our recent coffee breaks. You have questions, and we have answers.

Join IAPE members next Tuesday, April 23 at 3:00 p.m. EDT for a Town Hall Q&A. Union representatives will provide a quick update on contract negotiations and collective actions, but as the name implies, we’ll also take time to answer your questions. Either submit questions ahead of time through this signup form or raise your hand during the Town Hall.

This area of bargaining—in negotiations for 311 days and counting and working without a contract—is a bit uncharted for many IAPE members and it is important that we all are on the same page. If you are not sure of something, don’t be afraid to ask. There are probably several other members with the same questions as you.

Sign up for our Town Hall meeting here.

IAPE Slack
If you haven’t joined IAPE Slack yet, here’s another chance!

IAPE Slack serves as a community for union members to come together, find resources, and coordinate collective actions in a space outside of Dow Jones platforms. We host a great live vent session during all Open Bargaining sessions and those have helped build a sense of community and IAPE power.

Join us! Sign up for IAPE Slack here.

Bargaining Update: Let’s Be Honest

Negotiations between IAPE and Dow Jones continued Thursday morning and opened with a bang as management reacted to the union's latest proposal.

Objecting to union claims the company’s April 11 proposal would actually pay members less than a proposal offered March 21 (it would), management representatives complained that IAPE is not being “intellectually honest” with characterizations of company proposals.

Intellectually honest. That’s an interesting choice of words. Let’s consider what IAPE members have experienced over the past several months.

For quarter after quarter after quarter after quarter after quarter after quarter after quarter (we could go on), IAPE members have heard company officials tout record Dow Jones revenues, EBITDA and profit margins. CEO Almar Latour has credited staff for “strong business results . . . not possible without your hard work and commitment to our mission.”

And yet, instead of being rewarded for their contributions to the company’s bottom line, IAPE members have seen real wages decline thanks to the cost of living. Members work every day under the cloud of a constant threat of layoffs. The frequency of disciplinary meetings has increased, particularly in News departments. Morale has tanked.

As one member said to an IAPE Director, referring to WSJ management, “I hope they know what they are breaking.”

Meanwhile, for 310 days (and counting), IAPE negotiators have repeatedly told their company counterparts: members deserve real pay increases, retroactive to July 1, 2023, with affordable healthcare. That message was repeated in the latest IAPE proposal document: “The union continues to insist on retroactivity and real pay increases reflecting company performance, market rates and increases to the cost of living.”

So let’s be honest about the company's proposals: for management to propose that its first wage increase under our next contract must be effective only upon ratification, and not retroactive, is tantamount to a ten-month (or longer) wage freeze. IAPE has accepted wage freezes before, when the news business was in a generally dismal condition. This is not 2010.

Dow Jones negotiators are sure to say their proposal is not a wage freeze. And it is true, the company has proposed a combined Year 1 and 2 raise of 7.00%. That combination proposal with a $1,500 lump sum payment as a substitute for retroactive pay still lags behind what Guild peers at The New York Times received last year, and still falls well short of returning member wages to pre-2019 levels, when adjusted for inflation.

To be honest, this company can do better.

What Else Did We Talk About?
During Thursday’s bargaining session, IAPE made other claims the company is sure to take issue with. Just so everyone is on the same page, here are some other comparisons and data points raised by the union during today’s meeting:

• “The healthcare information you shared . . . confirms for us that the company’s 2023 actual costs are under the projected annual amounts by approximately $2,000 per employee.” From Total Company Cost data provided by Dow Jones Benefits, over multiple years of negotiations.

• “We see . . . a group purchasing healthcare with lower deductibles, lower maximum-out-of-pocket amounts, lower copays and significantly better coinsurance.” Referring to a comparison of 2024 Dow Jones and New York Times health care information.

IAPE also questioned the company’s characterization of union proposals over book leaves and derivative rights as “non-economic items.”

“For the company, we agree, they are,” IAPE rep Tim Martell said. “We do not believe that our proposals in this area will cost the company a dime. But for the relatively few members who are able to pursue external projects, we think clear contract language establishing an employee’s rights to use work they created is necessary.”

Except to complain about the apparent lack of progress made today—despite a key IAPE counter-proposal on introductory scales and an offer to agree to the company’s last proposal regarding the Day After Thanksgiving as a holiday—Dow Jones had no response to today’s union proposals.

Bargaining is scheduled to resume next Thursday, April 25.

Bargaining Update: The Thing About Math

Negotiations between IAPE and Dow Jones continued Thursday, in front of another record-high number of IAPE member observers who witnessed management present a new, comprehensive contract proposal.

(Remember: you can follow the progression of IAPE and Dow Jones proposals at our 2023-24 Bargaining page.)

Dow Jones Proposal 17 restated many of the company’s previous proposals, with small moves in areas like minimum scale increases.

Management also made another small adjustment in its wage proposal, moving from its Mar. 21 offer of a combined Year 1 & 2 raise of 6.75% effective May 1, 2024, to a new combined Year 1 & 2 raise of 7.00% effective upon ratification of a new contract.

Sounds like progress, right? It’s actually not. We’ll explain why.

Before we do, an IAPE correction is necessary.

In our Mar. 22 member update, we criticized Dow Jones for claiming, “The Company’s current proposal would result in a total compensation package that surpasses those reached at our peer companies, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press and Reuters in their recent labor negotiations.”

We focused on the 2023 contract settlement at The New York Times, and said, “We did the math.”

During an Apr. 4 bargaining session, Dow Jones claimed our calculations were wrong—that instead of a wage gap between Dow Jones proposals and NY Times pay by as much as 2.60% as IAPE claimed, the gap was much smaller: 1.42% for the median IAPE wage earner; 0.96% for members earning between $100,000 and $119,999; 0.79% for those paid between $120,000 and $159,999; and 0.51% for those paid above $160,000.

And you know what? The company was right about this. See for yourself, we’re not embarrassed to show our work. Because it helps us demonstrate that the company’s new proposal—still offering a $1,500 payment as a replacement for retroactive pay, and still combining two years’ worth of pay increases into one—actually pays less money to members than the Dow Jones proposal from last month.

We did the math. Again.

By pushing the effective date for its new Year 1 & 2 proposal beyond May 1, 2024 and making it “Effective on ratification”—we’re using June 1 as a hypothetical date for purposes of this exercise—the  0.25% “increase” actually becomes a 0.05% reduction compared to last month’s offer.

And it still trails behind last year’s wage settlement at The Times.

IAPE and Dow Jones will return to the bargaining table on Apr. 18. Members are again encouraged to join open bargaining as observers. See your email to register. We also recommend signing up for IAPE Slack, where members continue to plan collective actions like . . .

The IAPE Coffee Break: Nicely Done
Thanks to all members who responded quickly to our call for a coordinated coffee break yesterday afternoon in support of eleven members laid off Wednesday in another round of cuts by Dow Jones management. Members gathered en masse at company offices in New York, with smaller gatherings at other bureaus and on Zoom.

Stay tuned for more member action announcements from the IAPE Contract Action Team. If you’re interested in joining the CAT and helping with event planning, email union@iape1096.org for volunteer information.

Open Bargaining Today and a Coffee Break

Yesterday, Dow Jones laid off 11 IAPE members and some of our non-union colleagues. We're furious and heartbroken for those who lost their jobs.

After more than 300 days of bargaining, we continue to ask the company to recognize our work with a fair contract. Instead they’re cutting jobs despite record profits, avoiding questions about rumored restructuring and holding a town hall about artificial intelligence instead of negotiating with us about it at the bargaining table.

So what can we do about it?

Join open bargaining at 10:00 a.m. EDT. See your email to register.

Later today, join your colleagues in your bureau or on Zoom for a 15-minute coffee break at 4:00 p.m. EDT / 3:00 p.m. CDT / 1:00 p.m. PDT. If your managers expect you to be working at that time, tell them you’re busy. Let’s show solidarity for our colleagues who were laid off and discuss future actions.

In-person break locations will be announced later today. Join our coffee break via Zoom (meeting link emailed to all members).

Set your away message on Slack to "I'm on a coordinated coffee break in solidarity with our colleagues laid off this week. No more layoffs! Fair contract now!"

We’re sick of the way management is treating us—now is the time to show it!

CAT Action: Join “Mobilizing 1:1 Conversations”

As IAPE’s Bargaining Committee prepares to resume negotiations with Dow Jones on Thursday, the union’s Contract Action Team (CAT) is hard at work continuing to plan member activities to build support for a fair contract. And we could use your help!

Tomorrow, the IAPE CAT is hosting our second “mobilizing 1:1 conversations” basic boot camp! We will be learning how to have effective conversations with our colleagues—to build solidarity and move them to action!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. EDT!

Sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/cS5wZUxEf1xUrG5Z6

Invite your friends! Invite your colleagues! Invite your community!

Bargaining Update: Waiting for a Reply

When contract negotiations between IAPE and Dow Jones resumed yesterday, the union Bargaining Committee expected to receive proposal number 17 from management, perhaps a comprehensive response to IAPE proposals from Mar. 28. Instead, the company opted to share a presentation of different numbers—errors it claimed to have found in IAPE comparisons of Dow Jones proposals and pay at The New York Times.

That’s right. Instead of responding to union proposals to achieve a fair contract for 1,400 IAPE-represented employees across the United States and Canada, Dow Jones thought a better use of their time would be to explain how IAPE calculations and Dow Jones calculations differ by as little as 0.01%.

In fairness, Dow Jones also believes IAPE comparisons for employees earning more than $160,000 are inaccurate by approximately 2.1%. So, while we would prefer to spend time digging into a meaningful contract proposal from management, we’ll review our math.

Management also insisted, again, that when medical premiums at Dow Jones and The New York Times are factored into the equation, IAPE-represented employees could have “the best deals in town” if members accepted the company’s current proposal. IAPE representatives suggested that Dow Jones management should also review the average salary at The Times.

If the company thought members would be persuaded by its data, they were mistaken. Following yesterday’s contract meeting, hundreds of IAPE members participated in a “reply all” action sending messages to Dow Jones executives.

Members emailed through late afternoon telling CEO Almar Latour and fellow top managers that “IAPE members need a fair contract!” Many highlighted the frustration felt at the company’s failure to recognize the value of a workforce responsible for generating record profits quarter after quarter. Some worked lyrics from Taylor Swift, Adele and even BTS into their notes.

Are IAPE and Dow Jones never, ever, ever getting back together? Well, we’ll be back at the bargaining table next week, and you can join open bargaining as an observer. Rumor has it Dow Jones might come to the table with a new proposal. Management knows what it needs to do to make it right.

Sign Up for Contract Expiration Virtual Town Halls

As mentioned in yesterday’s member note, the IAPE contract expired 12:01 a.m. EDT Apr. 1.

IAPE members are currently working without a contract. What does this mean?

Well, for starters it means that negotiations are continuing. We’re still meeting with company representatives for open bargaining sessions. The next session is scheduled for this Thursday, Apr. 4 at 10:00 a.m. EDT.

The expiration of the contract also means we can continue to escalate our collective actions to put pressure on the company to come to a fair deal. The more participation in these actions the more serious our demands are taken at the table.

Join us this Thursday, Apr. 4 at 4:00 p.m. EDT and Friday, Apr. 5 at 12:00 p.m. EDT for Contract Expiration Virtual Town Halls where we’ll discuss working without a contract, collective actions, and escalations. We’ll also take time to answer any questions you may have about these subjects and negotiations. See your email for meeting registration links.

In Solidarity!

No Fooling: We’re Working Without a Contract

At 12:01 a.m. EDT today, the collective bargaining agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones expired. IAPE-represented employees across Dow Jones are now working without a contract.

Neither IAPE nor Dow Jones requested another extension of the agreement. The contract, which has a printed expiration date of June 30, 2023, was automatically extended for 60 days through the end of August. The parties agreed to additional two-month extensions in September and November of last year, followed by month-to-month agreements in January, February and March.

IAPE will continue to meet and negotiate with Dow Jones in hopes of reaching a successor agreement. Bargaining is scheduled to resume Thursday, Apr. 4 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. All IAPE members are welcome to join that meeting as open bargaining observers.

In the short term, working without a contract will be indistinguishable from working under an extended agreement. Most substantive terms and conditions of employment continue indefinitely. Now that the contract has expired, the “No Strikes” provision of the Agreement—Article XXIII—is no longer in effect. IAPE members can now participate in coercive economic activity, such as picketing outside of Dow Jones workplaces.

IAPE members have continued to work without a contract during previous rounds of negotiations, most recently in 2007 when IAPE and Dow Jones negotiated for ten months before reaching a contract agreement. Prior to that, the CBA expired in 2003 and IAPE members worked without a contract until a new agreement was ratified in August of 2004.

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to correct the date of the next bargaining meeting between IAPE and Dow Jones, scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 4.

New Grievances Filed
Concerned about an uptick in disciplinary meetings involving IAPE members, the union’s Grievance Committee has filed seven new complaints alleging Dow Jones has violated employee rights and workplace protections.

The new grievances challenge an assortment of management actions, with four claims that discipline—written warning letters—has been issued without just and sufficient cause, one claim of discharge without cause, one allegation of discrimination for failing to recognize workplace accommodations, and one charge alleging management has violated the “Rehire” provision of the collective agreement.

The IAPE Grievance Committee is scheduled to meet with Dow Jones counterparts on Wednesday afternoon.

Bargaining Update: IAPE Says Members Have Sacrificed Enough

Members Roast Mgmt, Espresso Dissatisfaction with Company Offers
“Gimme a Break, Dow Jones!”

IAPE representatives delivered a new, comprehensive proposal to Dow Jones management on Thursday, emphasizing the need for retroactive wage increases and pay hikes commensurate with company performance.

The new document, proposal number 21 from the union in this round of negotiations, withdrew key demands including improvements to inflation protection and retirement contributions. IAPE also reduced its wage increase proposal, calling for raises of 8.5% effective—and retroactive to—July 1, 2023; 5.5% on July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025; and 4.0% on July 1, 2026.

Dow Jones representatives scoffed at IAPE suggestions that members have sacrificed more than management during these negotiations. To the union’s demand for retroactive pay, management said, “what is retro, but a lump sum payment.”

The company’s Mar. 21 proposal offered lump sums of $1,500, which amounts to the equivalent of a 1.52% raise for the median IAPE wage earner.

Following negotiations, IAPE members across the United States and in Canada walked away from their desks in a coordinated coffee break to support demands for a fair contract. Members set their away messages to “Gimme a break, Dow Jones – we deserve more!” and gathered at coffee areas in New York, Princeton, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Members working remotely joined colleagues via Zoom, or just enjoyed a much-needed break from work.

Negotiations are scheduled to resume on April 4.

We're Walking Out . . . For Coffee

ACTION ALERT!

Join your IAPE colleagues for a 15-minute coordinated coffee break on Thursday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT/10:00 a.m. PDT.

We’re letting management know we’re insulted by their recent wage proposal, which did not include meaningful increases or retroactive pay. Dow Jones is making record profits and our cost of living is still sky high. We deserve a fair contract now.

To participate:

1) Set your avatar to an IAPE logo
2) Set your away message to “Gimme a break, Dow Jones – we deserve more!”
3) Wear an IAPE or red t-shirt and join your colleagues (if you’re in the office!) at these designated locations:

New York - Coffee station on 6
Chicago - Central break room
San Francisco - Kitchen on 11
Princeton - Coffee Bar
Washington - 1:30 p.m. Location TBD

People working remotely can still participate on Slack by setting an away message and taking a 15 minute break at the same time.

Join us!!

Don’t Forget to Feed the CAT . . . Survey
As IAPE awaits a new contract proposal from Dow Jones, the union’s Contract Action Team (CAT) is looking for your feedback on current proposals and wants to know how you feel about potential member actions to support our campaign for a fair contract.

Take our CAT survey!

There are two parts to this survey: Testimonials and Union Escalation comfort levels. You can tell the CAT how you are affected by the current cost of living, what affordable health care looks like for you, whether you’re concerned about the company’s use of AI, how you feel about your job and more!

This CAT survey will only take a few minutes of your time. See your email for survey links. Submit yours today!