Desk Hoteling, In-Office Work and Covid

The union has expressed concerns about Dow Jones plans to increase the number of expected in-office days for non-News staff, especially in New York where the loss of floor space has resulted in a requirement for employees to share desks.

Reports received by IAPE indicate that employees from multiple WSJ News workgroups contracted Covid last week, possibly exposing coworkers to illness. This apparent uptick in the spread of Coronavirus comes one week into Dow Jones “desk hoteling” plans in New York, requiring employees to reserve desks prior to arriving at the 1211 Avenue of the Americas building.

The union was contacted by several members asking about the current Dow Jones protocol surrounding contact tracing and notification for exposed employees. Dow Jones has eliminated all Covid protocols following the expiration of the public health emergency effective May 11. Unfortunately, this means that Dow Jones will not be conducting additional contact tracing or providing notification to exposed employees.

In addition to pushing back on in-office requirements in New York, IAPE has asked Dow Jones to confirm whether sick-time usage at 1211 AOA has increased since desk hoteling began on May 22. The union requested the company delay requirements for additional in-office work for non-News staff by at least two weeks and to instruct New York employees to work from their homes, where possible, for two weeks to contain any possible office exposure to Covid.

What if I’m Exposed?
Dow Jones has confirmed to the union that guidance for employees who are feeling unwell or who have tested positive for Covid remains unchanged: stay home. If you are unable to work due to illness, inform your manager you are using sick time. If you encounter any difficulty in using sick days because you are ill, contact the union.

While you are not required by law to share your medical information with others, if you suspect you have been exposed to or have tested positive for Covid, please consider sharing with your colleagues to curb additional exposure. Many employees have pre-existing medical conditions or family with pre-existing conditions that make exposure to Covid more dangerous.

If you hear from a colleague that they may have been exposed or that they have tested positive, IAPE recommends that you get tested as well. Dow Jones has recommended communicating with your manager if you may need to work remotely as a result of potential exposure.

If you have been notified by Dow Jones that an exemption from in-office work has expired and you are still unable to report to work at a Dow Jones location due to a qualifying disability, you must deliver a new accommodation request to the company.

IAPE can provide guidance if you have questions about requesting accommodations (including ergonomics) and what information the company may ask from you. This is not limited to Covid-related health issues, but rather health conditions and/or disabilities that may affect your ability to perform certain movements, job functions, or other processes without support.

Contract Trivia: Holiday Pay

Congratulations to New York member Paul Curtis, today’s winner of our 2023 trivia contest and a $50 prize. Paul was one of a handful of IAPE members with the correct answer to last week’s question about introductory pay tiers, and knew that there are 16 different Tier levels listed in the IAPE/DJ Job Description Document – eleven non-IT tiers (1-10 plus a separate tier for reporters) and five tiers for technology titles. (see the  2022-23 Job Descriptions, Tiers and Minimum Pay Scales document).

(We also would have accepted a guess of 17 tiers, because a new IT Tier 3A entry was added earlier this year. It has not yet been included in the Tier document.)

It’s the Friday before the Memorial Day long weekend—except for IAPE members in Canada, where it’s the Friday after the Victoria Day long weekend—and we hope everyone has a safe and happy three-day break. In an organization like Dow Jones, someone is always going to be required to work on a holiday—and that’s when it’s helpful to know the answer to this week’s contract trivia question:

At what point during work required on a contract holiday must the company increase Holiday Pay from 1.5X pay to 2X pay?

Think you know? Email your response to union@iape1096.org. Not sure? Scroll through our contract posted on the IAPE website to find the relevant section. Members in good standing* will have until Thursday at midnight to find the answer within the current collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, and email that answer back to us. Next Friday, one winner will be selected at random from all the correct responses, and that winning member will receive a $50 prize from IAPE.

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*The IAPE contract trivia question is a weekly contest for members of the IAPE/DJ bargaining unit in the United States and Canada, working under the terms of the collective agreement between Dow Jones & Company Inc. and the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE) TNG/CWA Local 1096, AFL-CIO,CLC, in effect from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. IAPE officers, IAPE directors, IAPE staff, fee-paying non-members and non-members in right-to-work states (or new employees not yet paying dues to IAPE) are not eligible for prizes. Contest period lasts through 11:59 PM Eastern Time each Thursday. On Friday, one winner will be selected from the previous week’s correct answers by a random drawing. Winners are limited to one prize every thirty days.

Contract Trivia: Pay Tiers

Congratulations to Princeton member Denise Ackerman, the latest winner of our 2023 trivia contest and a $50 prize. Denise was one of several IAPE members with the correct answer to last week’s question about the ability to sell vacation time: an IAPE-represented employee can request one week’s pay in lieu of one week’s vacation if they are entitled to at least three weeks of vacation and if their compensation is $1,250 per week or less (see Article IX - Vacations, Section E).

The IAPE Board of Directors will soon be finalizing proposals for a new contract with Dow Jones—union and management representatives will meet next Thursday to discuss a schedule for 2023 negotiations—and as part of that process, the union will also review existing introductory pay tiers and scales for classified job titles. The 2022-23 Job Descriptions, Tiers and Minimum Pay Scales document is incorporated by reference into the collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, and is the source for this week’s trivia question:

How many different Tier levels are listed in the IAPE/DJ Job Description Document?

Think you know? Email your response to union@iape1096.org. Not sure? Take a look through the Job Description Document linked above. Members in good standing* will have until Thursday at midnight to find the answer within the current collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, and email that answer back to us. Next Friday, one winner will be selected at random from all the correct responses, and that winning member will receive a $50 prize from IAPE.

Register for Contract 101
If you haven’t registered to attend our Contract 101 class scheduled for next Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. EDT, there’s still plenty of time. RSVP at the IAPE Events page for this Zoom presentation and Q&A session.

Still Looking for Elections Committee Volunteers
There are still openings for one or two more volunteers for the 2023 IAPE Elections Committee. Any member in good standing can help oversee this year’s election of union officers and directors, whether you’re an IAPE veteran or a newcomer.

If you would like to pitch in and help, please email the IAPE office.

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*The IAPE contract trivia question is a weekly contest for members of the IAPE/DJ bargaining unit in the United States and Canada, working under the terms of the collective agreement between Dow Jones & Company Inc. and the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE) TNG/CWA Local 1096, AFL-CIO,CLC, in effect from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. IAPE officers, IAPE directors, IAPE staff, fee-paying non-members and non-members in right-to-work states (or new employees not yet paying dues to IAPE) are not eligible for prizes. Contest period lasts through 11:59 PM Eastern Time each Thursday. On Friday, one winner will be selected from the previous week’s correct answers by a random drawing. Winners are limited to one prize every thirty days.

Contract 101 - Job Security

The IAPE Contract 101 series is a great way to learn more about the collective agreement, especially as the union prepares proposals for contract improvements to be presented during negotiations this year.

The next edition of IAPE’s Contract 101 will be held on Tuesday, May 23 at 2:00 p.m. EDT and will focus on job security, just cause protections, layoffs and seniority.

Visit the IAPE Events Page to register for this Zoom presentation.

In light of News Corp plans to cut staff throughout the calendar year, members may appreciate a deeper understanding of how the IAPE contract protects employees from arbitrary layoffs. It can also be helpful to be aware of your contractual rights when a manager delivers a surprise invitation to an investigatory or disciplinary meeting.

Join your colleagues and IAPE representatives next Tuesday!

Join our Elections Committee!

It’s an election year!

The term of office for elected representatives on the IAPE Board of Directors expires on Nov. 30 and IAPE members will vote to select a new Board later this year. Before that can happen, IAPE needs to form an Elections Committee of regular members, working closely with IAPE staff, to oversee the triennial election process.

The union’s Bylaws state, “The Local’s Officers, incumbent Directors and nominees are ineligible for membership on this committee.” This is a perfect opportunity for anyone interested in volunteering for a union committee for the first time.

If you are interested in learning more about the IAPE Elections Committee and how you can help ensure the union’s 2023 elections run smoothly, please email union@iape1096.org.

Contract Trivia: Vacation Sale

Congratulations to New York member Matthew Riva, today’s winner of our 2023 trivia contest and a $50 prize. Matthew’s entry was selected from several correct responses to last week’s question about vacation time: full-time employees must attain six years of service in order to attain five weeks of paid vacation time (see Article IX - Vacations, Section B).

We’re going to stick with the vacation section of our contract for this week’s question. We fully recognize that some people, for whatever reason, just are not able to use all their vacation time during a calendar year. And while most members who find themselves in that situation simply lose their time at the end of the year, there is a small segment of the IAPE membership who have the ability to sell one week of vacation time back to Dow Jones.

Which two qualifications must an IAPE-represented employee meet in order to have a contractual right to sell a week of vacation time back to Dow Jones & Company?

Think you know? Email your response to union@iape1096.org. Not sure? Scroll through our contract posted on the IAPE website to find the relevant section. Members in good standing* will have until Thursday at midnight to find the answer within the current collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, and email that answer back to us. Next Friday, one winner will be selected at random from all the correct responses, and that winning member will receive a $50 prize from IAPE.

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*The IAPE contract trivia question is a weekly contest for members of the IAPE/DJ bargaining unit in the United States and Canada, working under the terms of the collective agreement between Dow Jones & Company Inc. and the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE) TNG/CWA Local 1096, AFL-CIO,CLC, in effect from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. IAPE officers, IAPE directors, IAPE staff, fee-paying non-members and non-members in right-to-work states (or new employees not yet paying dues to IAPE) are not eligible for prizes. Contest period lasts through 11:59 PM Eastern Time each Thursday. On Friday, one winner will be selected from the previous week’s correct answers by a random drawing. Winners are limited to one prize every thirty days.

Thursday: IAPE Town Hall

A Kickoff to Contract Bargaining!

Join IAPE President Jodi Green, Executive Director Tim Martell, Administrative Officer Kaitlyn Frarey and other IAPE representatives on Thursday, May 11 for a union town hall meeting and preview of upcoming contract negotiations with Dow Jones.

Two one-hour sessions are scheduled: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EDT and 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT. To receive your Zoom link and attend one of these meetings, register on the IAPE Events page.

Hear how IAPE’s Board of Directors have been preparing to bargain for a new contract and how your responses to membership surveys conducted earlier this year have influenced union proposals.

IAPE reps will also discuss recent changes to in-office work plans and—for members in New York—the company’s decision to implement desk-sharing across all departments. Questions from members on all topics are welcome, especially if you would like to email yours in advance.

See you Thursday!

Performance “Conversations”
Earlier today, Dow Jones employees received a memo from CPO Dianne DeSevo announcing the beginning of “year-end performance conversations,” otherwise known as annual performance evaluations. Ms. DeSevo properly noted that the self-assessment portion of your evaluation is optional.

That’s good.

For many years, IAPE has taken the position that evaluating an employee’s performance is a management function. However, the union also recognizes that the performance evaluation process is an employee’s only opportunity to have an informed discussion with their manager about goals, expectations, performance and pay.

Our recommendation: if you want to participate in this process by providing a description of your own achievements, please do. Nobody can describe your successes and accomplishments better than you. We continue to believe that performance evaluations should be prepared by managers, but we also want to be clear that this should not in any way stop you from helping that process by singing your own praises.

If you plan on discussing your compensation with your manager, you may be interested in requesting an IAPE pay review. Using confirmed pay data from Dow Jones, your IAPE pay specialist can show you how you rank compared to peers in the same title, department, location, age range and tenure.

Depending on the backlog of requests, an IAPE pay review can take up to a week to complete. If you’re interested in receiving an analysis of your pay before speaking with your manager, ask IAPE for a review today.

Contract Trivia: Vacation Time

Congratulations to Washington member Tyler Parsels, the latest winner of our 2023 trivia contest and a $50 prize. Tyler’s entry was selected from several correct responses to the Apr. 21 question about union leaves of absence. He knew that members of the IAPE Board of Directors may take up to two days of unpaid leave each to attend the union’s biennial Board of Directors meetings (see Article XIII - Leaves of Absence, Section B).

There was no trivia question last Friday as we took a week off to prepare for and attend those union meetings. And now that the calendar has turned to May, we hope you have been able to take a week or two off or are planning to make use of your vacation time sometime soon. Vacation benefits negotiated and guaranteed by the IAPE contract have among the most-accelerated entitlements among NewsGuild peers—which brings us to this week’s question:

How many years of continuous service must full-time employees attain to earn five weeks of paid vacation time?

Think you know? Email your response to union@iape1096.org. Not sure? Scroll through our contract posted on the IAPE website to find the relevant section. Members in good standing* will have until Thursday at midnight  to find the answer within the current collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, and email that answer back to us. This Friday, one winner will be selected at random from all the correct responses, and that winning member will receive a $50 prize from IAPE.

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*The IAPE contract trivia question is a weekly contest for members of the IAPE/DJ bargaining unit in the United States and Canada, working under the terms of the collective agreement between Dow Jones & Company Inc. and the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE) TNG/CWA Local 1096, AFL-CIO,CLC, in effect from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. IAPE officers, IAPE directors, IAPE staff, fee-paying non-members and non-members in right-to-work states (or new employees not yet paying dues to IAPE) are not eligible for prizes. Contest period lasts through 11:59 PM Eastern Time each Thursday. On Friday, one winner will be selected from the previous week’s correct answers by a random drawing. Winners are limited to one prize every thirty days.

Sixty Days: IAPE Demands Negotiations

The collective bargaining agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones is set to expire on June 30, 2023. Article XXVI of that agreement states, “Negotiations for the renewal, modification or extension of this contract may be instituted by either party within sixty (60) days prior to its expiration.”

Yesterday, IAPE President Jodi Green delivered to Dow Jones management a notice announcing the union’s intention to negotiate a new contract with Dow Jones. Late yesterday afternoon, Dow Jones responded: “Letter received Jodi. We’ll be in touch with our response.”

IAPE looks forward to a productive season of negotiations toward an agreement addressing the needs of all IAPE-represented employees.

Return to Office: More People, More Days?
This morning, management advised the union it intends to require more employees to work from Dow Jones office space three days per week. With certain exceptions—notably Data Strategy, Finance GFO, most groups within Customer Service and some staff in WSJ Print Services—the company will communicate an expectation for employees to work in-office three days per week.

The union’s Board of Directors is reviewing this announcement, along with company plans to discontinue Covid guidelines and the process for requesting in-office exceptions. Employees will now be required to submit a request for an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Request for Accommodation form.

The union expects to meet and discuss these plans with Dow Jones management very soon.

1211 AOA Desk Space
Last week, IAPE representatives met with WSJ News management and representatives from Dow Jones Legal to hear more details about plans for desk hoteling at the company’s New York offices.

As a result of the loss of space on the ninth floor at 1211 AOA, management has announced plans for New York staff to share desk space, with a requirement to reserve desks in advance using the iOffice portal.

Feedback received from IAPE members working in New York suggests this is a less-than-popular idea.

IAPE has shared with management the overwhelmingly negative responses received through member surveys and has delivered counter-proposals to the company. Those include dedicated desk space for employees with consistent equipment set-up needs due to production or ergonomic requirements, dedicated desk space for employees who consistently work at least three days per week from the office, and an elimination of in-office mandates for News employees involved in production, but not reporting—including publishing editors, platform editors, newsletter editors and rewrite editors.

The union is awaiting a response from the company.

Layoffs . . . Again
As Dow Jones slithers along toward meeting the announced News Corp goal of an elimination of five percent of staff during this calendar year, the company has delivered additional layoff notices to the union.

In addition to the announced slashing of 22 positions on Jan. 11, Dow Jones advised IAPE of four layoffs on Mar. 16 and three position eliminations on Apr. 18. Last Thursday, the company delivered ten new layoff notices to the union.

All recent position eliminations have been logged on the union’s website layoff page. If you have questions about the layoff process, please contact IAPE.

Contract Trivia: Union Leave

Congratulations to Princeton member Daria Pettus, this week’s winner of our 2023 trivia contest and a $50 prize. Daria’s entry was selected from several correct responses to Monday’s question about probation periods for new employees: Dow Jones has nine months (excluding any periods of disability) from the date of hiring to discharge an employee without risking a grievance from the union (see Article VI - Job Security, Section A).

As we get closer and closer to the expiry date of the current contract between IAPE and Dow Jones, the union’s Board of Directors is busily reviewing current contract language and draft proposals for a new agreement. Next weekend, IAPE directors will gather in New York for the biennial meeting of the IAPE Board where the contract will be a key topic for discussion. The contract actually provides union directors with the ability to take time away from work to attend union meetings.

Under the terms of the IAPE/DJ contract, how many days of unpaid leave may IAPE directors take to attend biennial Board of Directors’ meetings?

hink you know? Email your response to union@iape1096.org. Not sure? Scroll through our contract posted on the IAPE website to find the relevant section. Members in good standing* will have until Thursday at midnight  to find the answer within the current collective agreement between IAPE and Dow Jones, and email that answer back to us. This Friday, one winner will be selected at random from all the correct responses, and that winning member will receive a $50 prize from IAPE.

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*The IAPE contract trivia question is a weekly contest for members of the IAPE/DJ bargaining unit in the United States and Canada, working under the terms of the collective agreement between Dow Jones & Company Inc. and the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE) TNG/CWA Local 1096, AFL-CIO,CLC, in effect from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. IAPE officers, IAPE directors, IAPE staff, fee-paying non-members and non-members in right-to-work states (or new employees not yet paying dues to IAPE) are not eligible for prizes. Contest period lasts through 11:59 PM Eastern Time each Thursday. On Friday, one winner will be selected from the previous week’s correct answers by a random drawing. Winners are limited to one prize every thirty days.