IAPE 101: Learn About Your Union
/Also: Guild members in need of support, how you can help!
If you were recently hired by Dow Jones, or if you transferred from a non-union position into your current role sometime over the past year, and if you ever wondered where you can go to find out more about this thing called IAPE, we have a suggestion:
On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. EST, join us for this Zoom presentation and learn more about IAPE. We’ll cover all the basic questions: what is a union? How did you end up in a union? And most importantly, what are the benefits of being in a union?
If you can stick around beyond the first half-hour, we’ll open the virtual floor for any questions you might have. IAPE veterans, you’re welcome to join, too. To register and receive your Zoom invitation, sign up through the IAPE Events page.
Support for Staff at ProPublica
Fellow NewsGuild members at ProPublica have been negotiating for a fair contract since October of last year. Management has repeatedly rejected fair proposals for industry-standard protections including “just cause” job security, a fair and transparent disciplinary process and union steward representation when requested, as well as guardrails ensuring artificial intelligence does not replace journalists.
The ProPublica Guild has created a petition to support their fight for a fair contract. IAPE members are encouraged to sign at Fair Contract Now for ProPublica Guild. And in the event the union is unable to secure a fair contract at the bargaining table, they have begun collecting donations for a strike fund. You can contribute at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-propublica-workers-for-fair-contracts.
PAPER for Pittsburgh
IAPE was thrilled when we learned our Guild siblings at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had won their three-year strike and were returning to work in November of last year. Sadly, their notoriously anti-union employer had other plans, and it announced last month that the 240-year-old Steel City publication will close in May.
Not surprisingly, Guild members in Pittsburgh are fighting back again. They have launched PAPER: The Pittsburgh Alliance for People-Empowered Reporting with the goal of creating a daily news publication that engages more effectively and sustainably as a source of communication and connection, reflecting the concerns of working-class people in the Pittsburgh region. Members are exploring worker-owned and worker-managed business models, and non-profit approaches, as well as the possibility of facilitating the sale of the Post-Gazette.
Our Pittsburgh Guild siblings could use some support in this endeavor. If you would like to donate to their cause, please visit https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/support-PAPER.