IAPE’s Letter to The Guild

“Local 1096, the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees representing more than 1,400 employees of Dow Jones & Company, opposes adoption of any position by The NewsGuild or its parent or member unions on the Hamas-Israel war or other public controversies.”

So begins a Nov. 24 letter from the IAPE Board of Directors to the Executive Council of our parent union, The NewsGuild-CWA (TNG). The message was sent after the IAPE Board became aware of the subject matter of a Nov. 21 Guild meeting where the Council was pressured to release a statement urging "the U.S. government to stop funding and supporting Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians."

Semafor highlighted portions of the IAPE letter in a Nov. 26 article.

The IAPE Board is strongly opposed to statements of political advocacy from our parent union, which represents journalists across the United States and Canada, including many who find themselves in harm’s way in conflict zones at this very moment.

The Board felt it necessary to act swiftly against an action that would put TNG in conflict with the standards of conduct applying to employees at Dow Jones and other legitimate news organizations. The governing body of the New York Times Guild has delivered a similar message.

The NewsGuild's Executive Council held a closed-door meeting Tuesday night to discuss the issue but has not announced any action. We will provide an update when we learn more.

IAPE is your union. The NewsGuild is our parent union and is a sector of the Communications Workers of America. Unionized staff at the New York Times belong to a separate local—the NewsGuild of New York—and are divided into two separate bargaining units: the New York Times Guild and the New York Times Tech Guild. The NewsGuild of New York is, like IAPE, a local union within the NewsGuild.

Bargaining Update: Health Care Details

IAPE presented a limited issues proposal to Dow Jones today, with a union offer to permit POS II deductibles to increase by $100 for individuals and $200 for families in return for preserving 20% coinsurance for the same plan. Dow Jones had previously proposed having the flexibility to increase the employee share of coinsurance to 25%.

Reaching agreement on these final two points would mean IAPE and Dow Jones have completed negotiations over the ability to make U.S. healthcare plan design changes in 2025 and 2026. The union and the company had previously reached tentative agreements on CDHP and Basic plan designs.

However, the parties are still far apart on potential health insurance premium increases. Now that Dow Jones has agreed to remove the “confidential” stamp from its health care proposals, IAPE can finally share premiums proposals the company delivered in September.

While management has pledged to keep premiums flat for employee-only POS II, CDHP, and Basic coverage through the life of the next contract, employees with dependents could see premium increases of almost 30% under the company’s plan. Members in California who purchase Kaiser coverage could see premium rates increase whether they have dependents or not.

IAPE has countered with a proposal to permit premium rates to increase by 0.25% of salary in 2024, with strict caps on premium increases of no more than the rate of inflation for 2025 and 2026.

IAPE and Dow Jones will return to the contract table on Thursday to discuss department structures and job security. To join open bargaining as an observer, please register through the link provided in your email.

Sign up for Open Bargaining

Contract negotiations between IAPE and Dow Jones will continue tomorrow, Nov. 28. Bargaining is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. EST, and members are again invited to attend via Google Meet.

To join the IAPE team as an open bargaining observer, please register through the link provided in your email.

Join our Bargaining Committee!
Since it seems unlikely negotiations will produce a final agreement anytime soon, we’re putting out a new invitation to any members who might be interested in joining the union Bargaining Committee. Are you an IAPE member who has been following our contract updates and would like to get involved in contract proposal planning? Are you interested in joining the in-person or virtual negotiation group? You’re just the person we need on our team!

For more information about joining the committee, send a note to union@iape1096.org.

File for Holiday Pay
In case you missed our note to members on Friday, members based in the U.S. who were required to work on Thanksgiving or the day after are entitled to Holiday Pay for all hours worked. Holiday Pay applies to ALL union-represented staff, whether you are considered overtime-exempt or not.

Yes, everybody. Even you.

File for your Holiday Pay through Workday. If you’re not familiar with the process (remember to enter your regular hours worked for other days during the workweek!), contact the IAPE office, or reach out to Payroll for assistance.

File for Fitness Reimbursement
Finally, please remember the deadline for IAPE-represented employees to submit physical fitness expenses for 2023 is Nov. 30. That’s this Thursday!

As a union-represented employee, you can be reimbursed for up to $700 of the employee-only costs of physical fitness activities and memberships ranging from health club memberships and personal trainers to entry fees for road races and tennis court fees.  Worth noting, home gym equipment is not eligible for reimbursement.

Expenses must be submitted to WageWorks by Nov. 30 in order to be reimbursed by the end of the calendar year. Any expenses submitted after Nov. 30 will count toward the maximum benefit payable for 2024.

You may file for reimbursement by logging into www.wageworks.com and submitting your request or by completing a reimbursement request form, available on the HR Hub.

Are You Working Today?

Today is a holiday for members in the U.S.

Working today? Here’s what you’re owed:

Fellow IAPE member, are you working today?

This year, for the first time, the Day After Thanksgiving is a holiday for Dow Jones employees working in the United States. Even though IAPE and Dow Jones are still negotiating new contract provisions, the company has agreed to treat today as a contract holiday.

That means any IAPE-represented employee in the U.S. who is working today is entitled to Holiday Pay for all time spent working. That’s 1.5X your pay for your regular hours, 2X your pay if you are required to work additional hours AND an extra day’s pay—or a day in lieu of the holiday to use before the end of this year.

This is important: for today—and any contract holiday which falls after July 3 in any year—the choice between the extra day’s pay or the extra day off is yours.

No, your manager does not have the right to tell you to “take Monday off instead.” You get to choose whether to take pay or use the day—and if you want to use the day, you get to request the date you’d like to take off.

(Note: management still has the discretion to reject time off requests if days are unavailable, so the extra cash might be preferable. Like vacation time, days in lieu of holidays expire for most members at the end of the calendar year, which is why we negotiated the employee option to choose pay in the first place.)

Same Holiday Pay rules apply if you worked on Thanksgiving day, or if you are already assigned coverage on Christmas Day. For members in Canada, Holiday Pay benefits kick in on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

So, if you’re working today, file all your hours worked in Workday. Then let your manager know whether you want your extra day or your day’s pay.

It’s your choice.

Happy Holidays!

No Bargaining Tomorrow

Due to unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow’s contract bargaining meeting has been canceled at the union’s request. IAPE and Dow Jones representatives will plan to meet again after the Thanksgiving holiday, on Tuesday, Nov. 28. However, we still urge everyone to wear their t-shirts tomorrow for T-shirt Tuesday!

The IAPE 101 Series – It’s Back!
IAPE 101, the union’s orientation class for newcomers and Q&A session for veteran members, makes its return on Wednesday, Dec. 6. At 2:00 p.m. EST. All members may join our remote feed. Please register through the IAPE Events Page to receive your meeting link.

IAPE 101 is a half-hour class addressing the basics of IAPE membership: What is a union? How does IAPE function? How does IAPE fit into Dow Jones? What are the benefits of union membership? We also save plenty of time for Q&A, especially for members who have questions about contract negotiations.

Speaking of the contract, please also consider registering for the next installment of Contract 101, scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Participants in Contract 101 classes take thorough looks at specific topics each class. Contract sessions have been devoted to topics like compensation and pay scales, comp time and overtime policies, vacation pay, seniority protection and job security and even an overview of how negotiations (are supposed to) work.

Register for the Dec. 13 class on the IAPE Events Page!

Fitness Reimbursement Deadline Nov. 30
Don’t forget: the deadline for IAPE-represented employees to submit physical fitness expenses for 2023 is Nov. 30. As a union-represented employee, you can be reimbursed for up to $700 of the employee-only costs of physical fitness activities and memberships ranging from health club memberships and personal trainers to entry fees for road races and tennis court fees.  Worth noting, home gym equipment is not eligible for reimbursement.

Expenses must be submitted to WageWorks by Nov. 30 in order to be reimbursed by the end of the calendar year. Any expenses submitted after Nov. 30 will count toward the maximum benefit payable for 2024.

You may file for reimbursement by logging into www.wageworks.com and submitting your request or by completing a reimbursement request form, available on the HR Hub.

Bargaining Update: Sending a Message

Display your own Worth More sign today!

Register to join open bargaining next Tuesday

IAPE and Dow Jones bargaining teams met in Princeton this morning for an off-the-record meeting to discuss compensation. By agreement, neither the union or management are reporting details from today’s negotiation meeting.

We can, however, convey how surprised we were to hear CEO Almar Latour’s response to a contract-related question during his All Hands meeting this morning. When asked how he squares the company’s 3% per year wage offer after years of high inflation and record Dow Jones performance, he expressed his confidence in the parties reaching a satisfactory agreement.

“We will do what we always do,” Latour said.

We’re not so sure.

What IAPE members know, and it appears management hasn’t realized yet, is that we are not close to a new deal. Unless Dow Jones understands its employees are #WorthMore, chances of reaching an agreement on a new contract in the near future appear slim.

So, let’s send that message.

If you’re working in the office today, you may have noticed IAPE signs on desks, counters, and even seltzer machines. No matter where you’re working, we invite all members to join the #WorthMore campaign. Download, print and display one of our desk tent options, or use the blank template to add your own contract commentary. And remember to email us photos of your Worth More messaging!

Bargaining resumes, back on the record, next Tuesday. Members are welcome to join open bargaining. See your email to register.

Activities for IAPE Members

• Thursday: Almar’s All-Hands - Wear Your IAPE Tees!

• Support our Guild Siblings in Pittsburgh

• Sign up now for IAPE 101, Contract 101!

IAPE and Dow Jones negotiating teams are taking a break from regular contract talks this week. On Thursday, union and company teams will meet in Princeton for an off-the-record session to discuss compensation and wages. No proposals will be exchanged on Thursday. Instead, IAPE and Dow Jones teams will speak frankly about their respective positions.

Whether meetings are conducted on- or off-the-record, what really matters is getting the attention of Dow Jones decisionmakers. And there is no better time for IAPE members to make a statement than this Thursday, when Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour holds his next All Hands meeting.

IAPE members with hybrid work assignments are encouraged to make Thursday an in-office working day, and if you have one wear your IAPE t-shirt!

Tomorrow: Rally With Pittsburgh Strikers
You may have heard about the Unfair Labor Practice strike that has lasted more than a year at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Now is your chance to hear directly from striking workers.

Join our union siblings from the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh and other PG strikers tomorrow at noon EST for an update on the strike, and how we can help them win against the law-breaking, union-busting bosses in what is now America’s longest ongoing strike.

At this virtual rally, striking workers will talk about their experiences and why, even more than a year later, they are still fighting for the local journalism our communities deserve. Please register to attend!

Interested in helping out in other ways? Sign up here to join a phone blitz action to demand board members and trustees of the Post-Gazette’s parent company push to settle the strike equitably and bargain in good faith with their workers. You can also support the strike by donating to the Pittsburgh striker fund here. All donations go directly to helping striking workers and their families pay rent, utility bills and other necessities.

The IAPE 101 Series – It’s Back!
IAPE 101, the union’s orientation class for newcomers and Q&A session for veteran members, makes its return on Wednesday, Dec. 6. At 2:00 p.m. EST. All members may join our remote feed. Please register through the IAPE Events Page to receive your meeting link.

IAPE 101 is a half-hour class addressing the basics of IAPE membership: What is a union? How does IAPE function? How does IAPE fit into Dow Jones? What are the benefits of union membership? We also save plenty of time for Q&A, especially for members who have questions about contract negotiations.

Speaking of the contract, please also consider registering for the next installment of Contract 101, scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Participants in Contract 101 classes take thorough looks at specific topics each class. Contract sessions have been devoted to topics like compensation and pay scales, comp time and overtime policies, vacation pay, seniority protection and job security and even an overview of how negotiations (are supposed to) work.

Register for the Dec. 13 class on the IAPE Events Page!

Bargaining Update: Those Q1 Results, Though

IAPE and Dow Jones bargaining committees met in Princeton yesterday morning for a short session to review the company’s latest contract proposal. The meeting ended well before News Corp released its first quarter results for fiscal year 2024.

Probably a good thing.

Once again, Dow Jones has been heralded as having a best-ever quarter, with an increase in segment EBITDA for the quarter to $11 million, or 10%. Adjusted Segment EBITDA increased 9%. These results represent “the highest first quarter profit margins since News Corp’s acquisition in 2007,” according to a company statement.

Meanwhile, back at the bargaining table, there was no discussion of wage increases as management opted to present a “select issues” proposal focusing on return to office issues, health care plan design and a response to IAPE’s proposal to increase job security.

In October, IAPE identified more than 300 separate departments—and seniority groups—the union believes can and should be compressed into a smaller number of distinct teams, resulting in larger departments and, presumably, greater seniority protection against layoff for longer-term members.

Yesterday, Dow Jones responded with its own examination of News departments listed in the union’s Oct. 3 proposal. The good news is, the company has largely agreed with IAPE. The not-so-good news: certain areas of News—like the Washington Bureau and the Video Desk—management believes must remain in its current structure of narrowly defined, distinct departments.

IAPE will review and respond.

On return to office, the company has modified its proposal and has offered to guarantee a three-day cap on in-office work through March 31 of next year. It had previously offered a commitment through the end of 2023. IAPE’s current proposal calls for a three-day limit through Dec. 31, 2024.

On health care, two points separate IAPE and Dow Jones from an agreement on POS II plan design for 2025 and 2026: plan deductibles and coinsurance. The union and management had previously reached agreements on CDHP and Basic plan structures.

There was no discussion yesterday of proposals to increase plan premiums. Dow Jones also did not respond to a union request to lift the “confidential” veil from health insurance proposals, but pledged to get back to IAPE by Monday.

Tomorrow: Join us for Bargaining

IAPE and Dow Jones contract committees will return to the virtual bargaining table tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. EST, and IAPE members are cordially invited to join the session as observers.

Management is expected to respond to the union’s latest proposal on health insurance costs.

Members must register to attend. If you’re available to observe tomorrow’s meeting, see your email for a sign-up link.

Open Enrollment, and a Dependent Care Change?
Even though a small number of IAPE members have reported having better results this year using “pilot,” the company’s virtual health care coverage assistant, the union’s caution about relying on that tool to choose your 2024 benefits package remains. Between now and Nov. 16, when open enrollment ends for U.S. employees, please take time to review available benefits material and make an informed choice for your health coverage.

Members are also reminded they must actively elect Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts, as 2023 elections in these plans will not roll over to 2024.

Speaking of Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, members have reported to the union an inability to allot more than $2,500 to accounts for 2024. The reason: the company has arbitrarily reduced the limit from $5,000 in 2023 to $2,500 for next year, because they continuously fail non-discrimination testing. (The IRS requires that benefits and contributions available to eligible employees under the DCFSA do not favor highly compensated employees.)

The Benefits Department reports that this information was included in notices mailed to employees’ homes, even though the company’s benefits information website states (as of 1:00 p.m. today) participants can set aside up to $5,000 for dependent care.

The company also failed to notify IAPE of this change. The union plans to investigate.

Bargaining Update: All Eyes on the Company

IAPE and Dow Jones representatives met for another contract negotiation session yesterday, and with nearly two-dozen IAPE members joining as observers, the union presented its thirteenth proposal since opening bargaining in June of this year.

IAPE shared new proposals on U.S. health care plan design changes for 2025 and 2026—still considered a confidential subject. The union also modified its proposal to boost cost of living allowance (COLA) protection, calling for a maximum 1.5% adjustment in percentage pay increases when the annual average Consumer Price Index exceeds the negotiated pay raise.

The new union COLA proposal has no impact on current wage proposals from IAPE or Dow Jones, neither of which were changed during yesterday’s bargaining session. IAPE continues to demand pay increases reflective of recent company performance, with annual raise proposals of 10%, 8% and 8% over the term of the next contract. Dow Jones has not budged from its current proposals for 3% pay raises in each year of the next agreement.

The union will be watching for a management response to these new proposals at the next bargaining session, currently scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 7. IAPE members interested in attending this open bargaining session can register by following the link in their email. Join us!

In addition to discussing health care and COLA, IAPE agreed yesterday to a Dow Jones proposal to eliminate extra notice of layoffs due to outsourcing when ten or fewer employees are impacted. Going forward, standard 30-day notice periods will apply.

The union also withdrew a proposal to require comp time when extraordinary amounts of hours are worked during the regular workweek, and a handful of proposals for the Miscellaneous section of the contract.

Guild Releases Report on AI
One important proposal still in the IAPE package calls for restrictions against Dow Jones implementing artificial intelligence that might impact IAPE-represented employees. Yesterday, we learned IAPE’s AI concerns are shared by many of our peer unions within The NewsGuild-CWA.

In a new report from TNG President Jon Schleuss, The Guild provided results of a membership survey of opinions on the advent of AI in our industry, and IAPE members figured prominently in the survey results.

“I think AI will positively AND negatively impact society as a whole,” said one IAPE member in their survey response. “Some parts are going to be horrible, and we don't even know what abuses are possible yet. And lives will be saved, changed and transformed by AI. Did Samuel Slater, who opened the first industrial loom mill in Beverly, MA in 1790, have any idea what the country would look like 100, 200 years later?”

An IAPE-represented reporter offered an industry-specific view: “When other media companies have rolled out AI in place of human reporters, the results have been mediocre to dumb. These reports lack context, background, and the kinds of phrases people actually use, and in some cases have been factually inaccurate as well.”

Thanks to all IAPE members—responsible for more than 18% of survey results from across the entire Guild, second only to participants from the News Guild of New York—for taking part in this survey. Your union hears you!