Bargaining Update: Tell Us What You Really Think, Dianne

IAPE and Dow Jones negotiators met yesterday morning to continue negotiations toward a new contract. The company presented a new proposal document, as expected. Management made a small adjustment to its wage proposal—3.5% in year one of the contract, but with no retroactivity—and agreed to meet the union’s proposed threshold for determining minimum wage increases, $1,500 per week, an increase of $100 from the company’s last proposal.

Dow Jones did not adjust its proposal to boost health care premiums by upwards of 30% for employees with dependents. Management also reiterated its demand to remove contractual references to all benefits, including severance pay, which would allow Dow Jones to have complete control over changes—and reductions—to hard-won benefits we all enjoy.

Was it a great proposal? No. But the union acknowledged the moves made by the company and pledged to return next week with a response. Some might say there was cause for cautious optimism.

And then CPO Dianne DeSevo clicked “send.”

In an email to staff following yesterday’s negotiations, DeSevo delivered an “Update on Dow Jones / IAPE Bargaining” apparently trying to explain how reasonable the company has been during these negotiations.

“While our previous wage proposal (3% increases in each year of the contract plus a .25% lump sum payment in the first year) was well within the range agreed to by our peers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press and Reuters, at today’s session we made what even the union acknowledged to be a significant move on wages in an effort to progress these negotiations,” DeSevo wrote.

Dianne, come on. We’ve talked about this. Well, not with you specifically, because you haven’t joined your team at the bargaining table, but we’re sure you’ve received the updates.

In May of last year, New York Times Guild members ratified a groundbreaking contract containing raises of up to 12.5% for members immediately, followed by 3.25% in 2024 and 3% in 2025.

“But that 12.5% makes up for two years without a contract!” is what Dow Jones bargainers generally tell us when we refer to this deal. They always seem to conveniently overlook the “ratification bonus equal to 7% of earnings after March 31, 2021.”

That’s a lot of cash. Meanwhile, Dow Jones is trying to stiff our members on retro pay? Really?

Anyway, DeSevo continued: “Notably, no media company has agreed to the kind of outsized wage demands that the union has made. Continued economic uncertainty is also a factor, along with the recent and very significant disruptions in the media industry.”

We could respond to that, too, but News Corp CEO Robert Thomson says it so much better:

“Not only has Dow Jones doubled its profitability over the past four years but it is also nearing a landmark moment with our lucrative B2B offerings expected to be the largest contributor to profitability in Fiscal 2024 and a key driver of future growth.”

Finally, DeSevo offered assurances that Dow Jones would continue to bargain with the union:

“We’ve also been clear that our current proposal is not our final position and that we fully intend to ensure our employees do better than their counterparts at rival publications.”

We should hope so.

IAPE has repeatedly said at the bargaining table: top-performing media companies should pay top-tier wages. IAPE-represented employees have been key contributors to Dow Jones’s record profits. Members deserve to be compensated accordingly.

We’re worth more!

So, IAPE will return to the bargaining table next week after putting pen to paper and determining whether we need to modify our wage proposal. Members, you should join us for open bargaining. That way, you’ll know exactly what key points Dianne has missed when she sends her next email. See your email to register, and remember to update your avatar or meeting backgrounds before next Thursday’s meeting.