Farewell to Bowling Green

The Wall Street Journal will be printed in Bowling Green, Ohio for the final time on Friday evening. After a 41-year run, the printing presses operated by Dow Jones in this Northwest Ohio college town will be turned off for good.

Citing declining print circulation, Dow Jones representatives first informed IAPE in January of the decision to shutter the Bowling Green plant, which has produced print copies of The Journal and Barron’s for the Ohio and Michigan region since opening in February of 1981. 

The production crew in Bowling Green formed a union and joined IAPE in 1997. Staff in the Technical Services department joined the main IAPE bargaining unit in 2001.

In its heyday, the Bowling Green facility printed 120,000 WSJ copies each day. In recent years, that circulation number has dwindled to between 20,000 and 30,000.

Another Dow Jones printing plant in Highland, Ill. will cease operations next month. Existing Bowling Green and Highland printing will be outsourced to regional contractors. A few dozen production and technology jobs will be eliminated between the two plant closures, including one IAPE-represented position in Highland and 13 union jobs in Bowling Green.

Press Operator Roger Pacheco would have celebrated his 38th year as an employee of Dow Jones next month. The company hired him while he attended Bowling Green State University. Now, he’ll spend some time on his farm, with his life partner Chuck Harless and their three dogs and two cats, and consider a career change.

“I think I’ll become a truck driver,” Mr. Pacheco said. “I’ll take my $12,000 retraining allowance and go to school nearby. There’s a high demand for truck drivers.”

Since the layoffs resulting from the Bowling Green and Highland plant shutdowns are considered job losses through outsourcing, IAPE-represented employees at each plant will receive additional severance pay—up to 56 weeks’ worth of pay for most—and enhanced retraining allowances. Members are also entitled to up to twelve months of medical and dental coverage. Many will qualify for subsidized retiree healthcare.

Mr. Pacheco, who also served as a member of the union Board of Directors since 2006, says he views his layoff as “another door opening.”

Colleague Brad Schwamberger will end his Dow Jones career seven months shy of his 30-year anniversary. He has not decided on his future just yet.

“I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up,” Mr. Schwamberger chuckled. “I have an interview at the Detroit papers, but I’m also thinking of starting a horticultural home consulting service.”

Mr. Schwamberger said he will look back fondly on his time as a Dow Jones Press Operator. “We’ve always done good quality work and people are proud of their work. It’s sad that the company made the decision to close.”

IAPE and Dow Jones concluded negotiations for a new two-year contract for the Bowling Green members in October of last year. The two parties signed a final contract document in December.

When the Highland location closes its doors next month, Dow Jones will be left with owned-and-operated printing plants in Chicopee, Mass.; White Oak, Md.; LaGrange, Ga. and Federal Way, Wash. It is a far cry from just two decades ago when The Journal, Barron’s and other publications were printed from Dow Jones presses in 17 locations across the United States.

From Princeton to Palo Alto, Dow Jones has looked to cut production costs by shifting to contract printing wherever it can. In May of last year, News Corp closed its facility in the Bronx and moved WSJ printing to a New York Times plant in Queens.

In an email message to Dow Jones staff, CEO Almar Latour said of the Bronx plant closure, “By moving our printing from the Bronx Print Plant to a different facility in the city, we will be able to bring down our costs, which ultimately means that we are extending our commitment to producing print products.”

Some Monday Reminders

A contract survey, our Special Election and a Labor Board notice. An ICYMI memo for a Monday afternoon.

IAPE Contract Survey – 30 Issues
If you haven’t had a chance to fill out the contract survey we emailed on Friday afternoon, you still have a few days to submit your responses. You’ll find our “30 Issues” survey here.

Initial responses to this survey are interesting, though probably not unexpected. In a typical contract year, IAPE members choose increased pay, healthcare costs and job security as the top three priorities for contract negotiations.

The early leaders this year: annual pay increases (selected by 88.4% of respondents), cost-of-living/inflation protection (59.3%) and work at home options (58.2%).

Select your top five priorities, or add one of your own. If you have a suggestion for a future survey topic, please reach out to your local IAPE Director, or send a note to union@iape1096.org.

We’re Having an Election!
IAPE is holding a special election to fill two vacant union officer positions: Vice President and Secretary. A “Notice of Special Election” was delivered to all members on Jan. 28. Elections to fill these positions became necessary after former VP Ellie Miller left Dow Jones late last year, and former Secretary Brent Kendall was promoted into a non-IAPE position.

IAPE Bylaws require a special election when vacancies in the positions of vice president, treasurer or secretary occur with more than eighteen months remaining in the term of office. The current IAPE Board of Directors term expires on Nov. 30, 2023.

The rules for this election state that anyone considered an IAPE member in good standing as of Jan. 31, 2022 is eligible to run for either officer position. To nominate a colleague (or yourself), send a completed nomination form to the IAPE Elections Committee: elections@iape1096.org. 

Can’t download the nomination form? An email to the Committee will be fine.

Names of nominees will be posted on the IAPE website.

Did You See The Labor Board Notice?
As we mentioned in our note on Jan. 24, as a result of the settlement of the National Labor Relations Board dispute between IAPE and Dow Jones, the company is required to post notices confirming that it “will not, upon request, refuse to bargain in good faith with IAPE as the exclusive collective-bargaining representative of our employees in the above-described unit regarding mandatory subjects of bargaining concerning certain remote working conditions related to the impact of the COVID epidemic on your terms and conditions of employment.”

The posting must remain on the Dow Jones HR Hub for 60 days. Dow Jones must also maintain a news feed link to the notice on the Coronavirus Microsite for 60 days, though the item was only required to be visible “without scrolling” on the News and Updates page for one full day.

If you missed day one, you may need to dig a little to find the posting now. It has been buried next to information items from four months ago.

ICYMI: We’re Having an Election!

IAPE is holding a special election to fill two vacant union officer positions: Vice President and Secretary. A “Notice of Special Election” was delivered to all members on Jan. 28. Elections to fill these positions became necessary after former VP Ellie Miller left Dow Jones late last year, and former Secretary Brent Kendall was promoted into a non-IAPE position.

IAPE Bylaws require a special election when vacancies occur in the positions of vice president, treasurer or secretary occur with more than eighteen months remaining in the term of office. The current IAPE Board of Directors term expires on Nov. 30, 2023.

The rules for this election state that anyone considered an IAPE member in good standing as of Jan. 31, 2022 is eligible to run for either officer position. To nominate a colleague (or yourself), send a completed nomination form to the IAPE Elections Committee: elections@iape1096.org. Can’t download the nomination form? An email to the Committee will be fine.

Names of nominees will be posted on the IAPE website as nominations are confirmed.

If you have considered becoming more involved with IAPE, but aren’t quite ready to run for an officer position, we also have Director vacancies on the IAPE Board. We are currently seeking a Location Director to represent members in our Midwest region, and we’re looking for a Classification Director from members working in News Departments, as well as a Classification Director to represent members in Sales and Administrative positions.

Non-officer vacancies may be filled by approval of the IAPE Board. If you’re interested in becoming an IAPE Director, please contact union president, Jodi Green.

Learn About PTO at Contract 101
IAPE’s Contract 101 series resumes on Wednesday afternoon with a fresh look at paid time off: your vacation time, comp time, personal days and contract holidays. We’ll talk about how long you need to work for Dow Jones to earn more vacation time, and what happens if you leave the company without using your accrued time off.

Join us via Zoom on Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Register on the IAPE Events page to receive your meeting invitation.

No Phase 3 Decisions Yet
During the regular, monthly meeting on Jan. 27 of the IAPE and Dow Jones Labor/Management Committee meeting, IAPE reps pressed management to discuss details about Phase 3 plans for returns to Dow Jones workplaces. We especially asked about a report we received from members last week: the management in some departments plan to require any work-from-home employees to report to a Dow Jones office at least one day per week.

The short response from Dow Jones representatives: no decisions about Phase 3 have been made, and “Anybody who says they have heard anything else is speculating.”

That’s good news. After the recent settlement of our National Labor Relations Board complaint, we hope the company now realizes it must meet and negotiate with the union over changes to terms and conditions of employment.

New From The Guild: Order Your Swag Today
Last week, our parent union, The NewsGuild-CWA launched its new online store with an initial offering of union merchandise: lapel pins, tee shirts, hoodies and jackets, all adorned with The Guild’s new “unblinking eye” logo. A wider selection of Guild items may be available soon.

To order your own TNG items, visit myunionstore.com/newsguild.

The NewsGuild-CWA is IAPE’s home within the Communications Workers of America, our other international parent. Guild members work at newspapers, online publications, magazines, news services and in broadcast in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION

NOMINATION AND RULES FOR 2022 SPECIAL ELECTION OF

VICE PRESIDENT - CWA CONVENTION DELEGATE

AND SECRETARY - CWA CONVENTION DELEGATE

Notice is herewith given of the 2022 special election of IAPE Vice president - CWA Delegate and Secretary - CWA Delegate, as provided by the Bylaws of IAPE Local 1096, TNG/CWA.

Vice President - CWA Delegate (1)

Eligibility: Any IAPE member in good standing can run for the position of Vice President. Under Article IX, Sec. B and Article XI, Sec. A, of the IAPE bylaws, the Vice President automatically also serves as Delegate for IAPE to any CWA Convention held within the terms of office.

Secretary - CWA Delegate (1)

Eligibility: Any IAPE member in good standing can run for the position of Secretary. Under Article IX, Sec. D and Article XI, Sec. A, of the IAPE bylaws, the Secretary automatically also serves as Delegate for IAPE to any CWA Convention held within the terms of office.

THE FOLLOWING RULES WILL GOVERN THE ELECTION:

This Notice of Nomination and Election will be e-mailed to the last known home address of each IAPE member, in good standing, no later than Monday, January 31, 2022, and posted on the IAPE website, www.iape1096.org.

Any IAPE member in good standing can nominate themselves and/or any other member in good standing for the positions of Vice President - CWA Delegate or Secretary - CWA Delegate. Good standing is defined, for purposes of nomination, as being current in Union dues as of Monday, January 31, 2022. If a member is on leave as of that date, the member will be considered in good standing if the member was in good standing when they went out on leave.

Nominations must be received by the Elections Committee no later than 10:00 a.m. ET, February 14, 2022. Nominations must be in writing, and must be submitted either by email (elections@iape1096.org) or by using the nomination form available on the IAPE website.

After each nomination is received, the Elections Committee will confirm the eligibility of nominees. Those who have not nominated themselves will be contacted to determine whether they accept nomination. Names of verified nominees shall immediately be posted on the IAPE website. In the event only one nomination for either position is received by the nomination deadline, any eligible unopposed candidate will be declared elected.

In the event of a contested election, candidates are encouraged to submit a statement and photo to be posted on the IAPE website to the Elections Committee: elections@iape1096.org. Statements should be a maximum of 1000 words and can include a link to a personal web page or blog. Photos must be submitted in high-resolution .jpg format. Statements and photos will be posted within two (2) business days of submission to the Elections Committee. Deadline to submit those to the Elections Committee is February 28, 2022. This is no cost to the candidate.

A contested election will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) as soon as practicable following the close of the nomination period. Once election ballots have been mailed to eligible voters, the voter list will be available for candidates via a view-only Google Sheet. This locked, confidential list will include member names, locations, and classifications only. No contact information will be provided. The link to the Google Sheet will be sent to all nominated candidates no later than two (2) business days following the mailing of election ballots. No further request is necessary. Candidates may designate a representative to examine the lists on their behalf. Requests, in writing, should be directed to the Elections Chairperson and sent to elections@iape1096.org.

In the event of a contested election, a duly nominated candidate may send physical mailings to all members. To submit a mailing, candidates should reach out to the Elections Committee with a copy of the materials they plan to send at least five (5) business days prior to their desired send date. The cost of those mailings will range from $700-$950 and will be incurred by the candidate as quoted by Click2Mail.

Dow Jones email addresses can NOT be used for any campaign purpose. IAPE may send ballot reminders to work email addresses, but no campaigning or electioneering can be done using company resources. IAPE can send an email on behalf of a duly nominated candidate to the list of personal emails that the union has available. (Note: the personal email list is incomplete.) Please email the Elections Committee (elections@iape1096.org) with the draft email including subject line and proposed send date. Please submit all emails for sending at least three (3) business days in advance of your proposed send date. Send dates will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Elections Committee will work with the candidates to schedule their send. The cost to send an email will be incurred by the candidate as quoted by IAPE.

In the event of a contested election, the election will be conducted via mail ballot. Detailed voting instructions will accompany the ballot. Only official ballots will be counted. No write-in votes will be counted. Ballots will be mailed to members who were in good standing as of Monday, February 14, 2022.

In the event of a contested election, ballot delivery and receipt deadline dates will be determined in conjunction with AAA. As soon as possible after the ballot count date, the Elections Committee will issue a tentative certification of the results and will notify the membership. Absent a challenge to the election, the tentative certification will become final ten (10) days thereafter.

All inquiries and protests should be directed in written form to the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee will rule on any and all challenges and issue a final election certification no later than ten (10) days following the ballot count date. Further appeals shall be governed by the terms of the CWA constitution, Article XV, Section 4.

Terms of office for those elected via this special election will begin immediately and will end November 30, 2023. 

PURPOSE OF RULES

These rules supplement, and must be read and applied in conjunction with, the IAPE bylaws or CWA Constitution provision that is their source. These rules shall be interpreted and applied liberally to ascertain the actual intent of the voter and the true result of any election, and shall not be interpreted or applied so as to unnecessarily disqualify eligible voters for immaterial irregularity.

Settlement Reached in NLRB Complaint Against Dow Jones

The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE), Local 1096 of The NewsGuild-CWA, is pleased to report an Unfair Labor Practice charge the union filed against Dow Jones in February of 2021 has finally been settled. The almost-year-long dispute was scheduled to proceed to trial tomorrow morning.

The IAPE charge led to the National Labor Relations Board filing a complaint against Dow Jones last September, stating, “Since about October 2, 2020, (Dow Jones) has failed and refused to bargain collectively and in good faith with the Union.”

Under the terms of the settlement, Dow Jones will be required to post notices confirming that it “will not, upon request, refuse to bargain in good faith with IAPE as the exclusive collective-bargaining representative of our employees in the above-described unit regarding mandatory subjects of bargaining concerning certain remote working conditions related to the impact of the COVID epidemic on your terms and conditions of employment.”

The posting also confirms that Dow Jones will not interfere with employee rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. Physical notices must be posted on bulletin boards at Dow Jones offices in New York, Princeton, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington. Electronic notices must be posted for 60 days on Dow Jones’s intranet, including a news feed item on its Coronavirus Microsite.

“This is an important victory for IAPE,” said union president, Jodi Green. “Throughout this long process, we have shown that our union is tenacious in enforcing our legal rights and the rights of all our members.”

“We’re pleased with the terms of this settlement, and that now we can focus on trying to negotiate much-needed assistance for our members who have been working from their homes since the beginning of this pandemic. It is our hope that Dow Jones will take this opportunity to reflect on its approach to the union, and begin to deal with us in good faith and treat us as equal partners, as the law requires. We have many important issues to discuss, including the continued impact of Covid on our return to the office and, of course, our negotiations for our new collective agreement later this year.”

Local 1096, representing Dow Jones employees across the United States and in Canada—including staff at newsrooms of The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch and other Dow Jones products—filed its Unfair Labor Practice charge last year alleging Dow Jones representatives had failed to negotiate in good faith over union proposals to provide pandemic benefits and relief to employees.

Correction: Selling Vacation Time

IAPE-represented employees who are entitled to at least three weeks of vacation and whose compensation is $1,250 per week or less will be granted one week's pay in lieu of one week's vacation at the request of the Employee. A union update delivered to members yesterday incorrectly stated that the compensation threshold was $1,500 per week or less.

For complete contract terms, always consult the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones.

Inflation and Your Pay Raise

We’re Finally Going to Trial!

Yes, we know the headline for this update mentions inflation and raises, and there’s plenty of information about that (and vacation time, and vaccine surveys, and Glint goals) below. First, we’re excited to let you know that five months after the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against Dow Jones, we are finally scheduled to proceed to a trial on Jan. 25.

NLRB hearings are public proceedings, which means you can attend next week’s trial if you would like. However, since all Labor Board hearings have been conducted via Zoom during the pandemic, attendees must register to attend in advance.

If you are interested in observing next Tuesday, please send an email to union@iape1096.org before 12:00 p.m. EST tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 21).

And now, back to our update . . .

Inflation and Your Pay Raise
With prices for goods and services rising faster than they have since 1982, we’re not surprised that members have begun asking IAPE representatives whether the union contract requires any increase in annual raises to offset soaring inflation.

The answer is, yes, it does—but not in the way you might think.

Article IV, Section D of the IAPE/Dow Jones contract describes our Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) agreement requiring a boost in annual pay increases when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) exceeds our negotiated raises. However, the COLA agreement calculates cost of living by looking back two years prior to the effective date for pay raises.

“To calculate the cost of living, take the annual average CPI index for the calendar year ending immediately prior to the scheduled wage increase, divide by the annual index for the prior year, and subtract 1. Convert this number to a percentage and compare to the compensatory percentage increase due the following July 1st.”

So, looking back at our compensatory increase for 2021—originally set at 2.5%, but increased to 2.75% thanks to our negotiated “upside protection” agreement—the relevant inflation data were average CPI for 2019 and 2020, resulting in a cost of living percentage of 1.23%. Because the cost of living for the calendar year preceding our July 1, 2021 raise was less than 2.5%, no additional adjustment was required for last year’s raise.

Using the same formula to compare CPI from 2021 and 2020, the cost of living calculation for this year would be 4.7%. However, because 2022 is a contract bargaining year, there is no negotiated raise in place yet for July 1, 2022.

We anticipate negotiations for our new collective agreement with Dow Jones will begin in May or June of this year. Keep an eye on your inbox for more contract updates, membership surveys and requests for bargaining suggestions. In the meantime, if you have any contract questions, concerns or requests, send them along to union@iape1096.org, or reach out to any of your representatives on the IAPE Board of Directors.

FYIAPE: Vacation Time

With 2022 upon us, we find ourselves beginning a new vacation year. All full-time IAPE-represented employees receive at least three weeks of vacation time each year. Employees with three years’ continuous service are entitled to four weeks of vacation, and employees with six years’ continuous service receive five weeks.

(Legacy Factiva employees who had earned six weeks of vacation time as of 2008 are still entitled to those six weeks this year, per our Factiva Acquisition Agreement document.)

Regular part-time employees are entitled to two weeks of paid vacation after one year of service, three weeks after four years and four weeks after seven years.

Here’s an important reminder: Article IX of the IAPE/DJ contract states that if you cross a service anniversary threshold anytime during this calendar year, you are entitled to the corresponding vacation allotment anytime during this year. In other words: if you are a full-time staffer and your sixth anniversary is in July of 2022, you are entitled to five weeks of vacation time now.

So, schedule that time off. Or, keep it for a payout in case you leave the Company sometime this year—but remember this: for payout purposes, vacation time vests on a monthly basis. If you decide to leave Dow Jones this month, the Company will pay you the equivalent of one-twelfth of your time, minus any vacation days already used. If you leave in June, you’ll receive pay for half your vacation time, minus any days used. But, if you are able, you may schedule all your vacation days at any point in the year.

If you’re an employee entitled to at least three weeks of vacation and your gross pay is $1,500 per week or less, you can exchange one week of vacation for one week of pay. All you have to do is ask. That’s another benefit guaranteed by Article IX of our contract.

Employees are also entitled to six “floating holidays” to be used during the calendar year. These days are not eligible for payout upon departure.

There are lots of interesting items and benefits provided and guaranteed by our contract—shift differential, standby pay, severance pay, and so on. As we move deeper into 2022 and approach negotiations for a new agreement with Dow Jones, you’ll hear more and more about those benefits from us.

In the meantime, take a few minutes to browse through our contract document again, or join us for our Contract 101 classes for deeper dives into the terms of our agreement. Even Dow Jones veterans occasionally forget about all our negotiated benefits and guarantees. You never know, you may find you’re entitled to a few extra bucks to start the year—and that’s never a bad thing.

Outside New York: IAPE Vaccine Survey
Members assigned to Dow Jones work locations other than 1211 AOA in New York: last week we asked you to respond to our survey question: if you work from a Dow Jones office space, would you prefer Dow Jones to require proof of vaccination to access your building?

If you haven’t yet submitted your response, please do. See our email sent on Jan. 13, 2022 for a link to that survey question.

(New York members, as you know, earlier last month, the New York City health commissioner issued a public-health order requiring private employers take such steps “to prevent, mitigate, control and abate the current emergency.”)

2022 Goal Conversations
Last week, Meredith Lubitz emailed Dow Jones staff and encouraged employees to begin their 2022 goal conversations with their managers. Ms. Lubitz said email invitations from Glint would be delivered this week.

Those of you who were here one year ago may recall the union’s guidance regarding the introduction of Glint and the process for providing goals and self-evaluations. One year on, our position has not changed.

Self-assessments and entering goals are voluntary activities for employees. We realize these employee/manager discussions are often employees’ best opportunities to talk about goals, expectations, performance and pay. IAPE is not opposed to members setting their own goals—we simply want you to know that you are not required to submit yours if you would rather have your manager set those targets for you.

Happy Holidays!

The officers, directors and staff of IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096 would like to wish all our members a safe and happy holiday season. The union office will be closed on Friday, Dec. 24 and Friday, Dec. 31.

Under the terms of the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, Dec. 24 and 31 will also be considered days off for IAPE-represented Dow Jones staff in the United States, as “the days celebrated by the United States federal government” for the contract holidays Christmas and New Year’s Day.

IAPE-represented staff in Canada will have a short week next week, with the Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day holidays recognized on Dec. 27, 28 and 31, respectively.

Whichever side of the border you’re celebrating your holidays, we hope you are able to enjoy some well-deserved time off with loved ones. However, if you’re required to work, please remember to file for your Holiday Pay!

The collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones requires time-and-one-half for all regular hours worked on a holiday (double-time for extra hours) plus an additional day off in lieu of the holiday or an additional day’s pay.

The contract gives IAPE-represented employees the discretion to choose additional pay over an additional day off for all holidays worked after Jul. 3 in any calendar year. If you are assigned to work Friday—or, in Canada, on Monday or Tuesday—and you want extra pay instead of an additional day off, please inform your manager.

Because Dec. 31 is the recognized date for New Year’s Day, it is considered a 2022 holiday. For any work performed on that day, the discretion to choose extra pay or an extra day off reverts to your manager.

You may file for your Holiday Pay through Workday. If you have any questions about pay for working on a holiday or receiving your extra day’s pay or day off, please contact the IAPE office.

Tomorrow: Steward 101

With a little more than six months remaining in our current contract term, IAPE is looking to bolster its steward ranks ahead of 2022 negotiations. What’s a union steward? A steward can be IAPE’s eyes and ears in a department, sharing union and workplace information with members or with IAPE’s elected representatives and staff. A steward might help organize union events and activities or participate in committee planning. Stewards even assist other members during meetings with management and Human Resources!

If you’re interested in becoming an IAPE steward, we invite you to join us tomorrow afternoon, at 2:00 p.m. EST, for our Steward 101 class. This half-hour Zoom presentation is a great way for union members to learn more about the next level of IAPE participation.

Register on the IAPE Events page. Do you have questions about becoming a steward, but you aren’t available to attend tomorrow’s class? Reach out to IAPE rep Marlena Fitzpatrick for some individual Q&A!

Update Your IAPE Contact Info!
You’re likely receiving this message at your Dow Jones email address. There are times, especially during contract negotiations, when IAPE prefers to message members via their personal email accounts. Not all members have their current personal email address on file with IAPE, though. If you would like to add or update your non-DJ contact information with IAPE, please send your current email address in a reply to this note.

If you would like to add your mobile number for possible IAPE text messages during contract negotiations, please feel free to add that to your reply!

Update: NLRB Hearing Postponed

In September, we announced that the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against Dow Jones for failing to negotiate in good faith with IAPE. The NLRB originally set today, Dec. 7 as the date for the union, represented by the General Counsel of the NLRB, and the company to appear at trial before an Administrative Law Judge.

The General Counsel’s office has requested a postponement of this hearing. The trial is now scheduled to begin on Jan. 21, 2022.