Tariff-ic News: You’re Going to Get Paid

Weekend work must be compensated. Find out how!

IAPE members across the United States and Canada have inboxes full of “well done” emails from managers this morning—and for good reason. Tariff coverage provided over the weekend by News staff at Dow Jones publications was second to none.

However, we have yet to see a message from management reminding members that work assigned and performed on scheduled days off MUST be compensated, and cannot simply be exchanged for a day off this week, or sometime in the future.

For overtime-eligible employees—titles like Photo Editor, Graphics Reporter, or Publishing Editor—pay for hours assigned on your weekend day is straightforward: you are owed overtime, at 1.5X your regular rate of pay, for your weekend work.

For overtime-exempt employees—like Reporters, Special Writers, or Lead Photo Editors—your weekend work earns Comp Time. It must also be “paid” or credited at a rate of 1.5X, which means you earn an hour-and-one-half of Comp Time for an hour of work. IAPE-represented employees can receive up to 12 hours of Comp Time—for eight hours of work—on a scheduled day off.

For assignments performed at home, Comp Time eligibility kicks in after two hours of work are performed—but at that moment, those first two hours must also be compensated. For assignments outside your home, Comp Time eligibility begins immediately, as soon as you step outside your door.

Most importantly, once Comp Time is earned and logged in Workday, it is yours to keep, to use at a later date, or to cash out. Comp time may be exchanged for cash without question 30 days after it has been earned, or sooner with your manager’s permission.

If you earn Comp Time, you must file your time in Workday. Allowing your boss to give you one day off in exchange for a full weekend day of work falls short of our contractual requirements. And even if you want to use time off instead of exchanging your time for cash, you get to decide when to request that time off—you don’t need to accept a day off assigned by your manager.

See more overtime and Comp Time information at https://www.iape1096.org/overtime-comp-time, and check out today’s FAQ section at the bottom of this note. Please note that IAPE is aware of a recent Dow Jones layout change to its Workday profile, so you may need to dig a bit to find the cash out option for Comp Time. The union’s guidance on that subject will be updated as soon as possible.

A special note to members outside of News: the above guidance applies to you too! If you have been assigned work on a scheduled day off, please follow this same overtime or Comp Time guidance.

Learn More About Compensation . . . and IAPE!
We could talk about overtime, Comp Time, and all the other ways IAPE members can earn extra compensation all day. And on May 21, we will . . . well, for an hour, at least.

Join IAPE reps for our next Contract 101 class, where we will discuss all things related to compensation: your annual raise, extra pay, paid time off, and how to request an IAPE pay review. Visit the IAPE Events Page to register for this class, and while you’re there, consider joining this week’s IAPE 101 class—scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 9 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Next Wednesday, Apr. 16, IAPE representatives will be hosting our next steward training class. If you have ever wondered about a steward’s member representation responsibilities and legal rights, this class is for you! IAPE leaders will cover the special position of steward as a representative during disciplinary meetings and will practice with some mock sessions.

Register for IAPE Steward Training 3, scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 16 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/IcdwhKeVS1K6iKngGzSBog#/registration

The NewsGuild: Defend our Free Press
All IAPE members are invited to attend a meeting open to all members of The NewsGuild-CWA this Thursday, Apr. 10 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Entitled “Defend our Free Press,” this meeting will feature international Guild leaders discussing how workers, unions and journalists are under attack. Members will discuss the threats to our union, members and our industry. Attendees will hear from Guild members in the field on how these threats are playing out and together will develop strategies and actions for a national campaign to Defend Our Free Press.

Register to attend: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/dbmD_XJmQKGcXBs9-Y3j_A

Overtime and Comp Time FAQ
You’ve scrolled all the way to the bottom of this message to find out more about overtime and Comp Time. Welcome! We hope you had a chance to browse through some other IAPE news on your way here. And we hope we are able to offer some tips on when and how to file for extra compensation—but if you still have any uncertainty after reading today’s advisory, please feel free to email us at union@iape1096.org. IAPE Slack is also a great resource for crowdsourcing answers to your questions—members only can find us at https://iape1096.slack.com/. If you aren’t an IAPE Slack member yet, sign up here!

• I’m an overtime-eligible employee, can I earn Comp Time? No. Work performed by overtime-eligible employees after regular hours or on scheduled days off must be compensated with overtime pay. Comp Time is only available to overtime-exempt employees.

• I’m a Senior Software Engineer, I was called for support on the weekend. Am I eligible for Comp Time? If you worked from home and required more than two hours to complete your assignment, you may file for Comp Time.

• I’m eligible for Comp Time and I worked from home on Saturday for four hours. So, I file for two hours of Comp Time, right? No, you file for all four hours of work. While you must work longer than two hours to earn Comp Time when working from home, as soon as you cross that two-hour threshold, your first two hours must also be included for Comp Time.

• I’m an overtime-eligible employee. Do I also need to work longer than two hours to file for overtime? No. Overtime is required beginning with the first minute of any assigned weekend work, and must be paid in fifteen-minute increments. So, if you were called for support on Saturday and you worked for 20 minutes, you are entitled to a half-hour of overtime pay.

• I am overtime-exempt. My manager didn’t assign work over the weekend, I just decided to clean up a project I’m working on. How much Comp Time do I get? None. Comp Time is available when extra work is assigned by a manager, or “reasonably expected” to be done specifically on your scheduled day off. You cannot charge for hours you work in the ordinary course of completing your work.

• I am overtime eligible. My manager didn't assign work over the weekend, I just decided to clean up a project I'm working on. Do I get overtime pay? You are entitled to overtime pay for the weekend work unless your manager flexes your regular work hours during the same payroll week so that you worked only 35 total hours. However, if your department has a policy that requires you to get approval in advance before working overtime hours, your manager may be unhappy with you and your decision to work the hours on the weekend without getting permission could be a problem and could even result in disciplinary action. Best practice is to ask first.

• My boss said they will give me a day off in exchange for the work I did on Saturday. That’s the same as Comp Time, right? No. First of all, if you are overtime eligible, then you get paid overtime pay and your manager cannot substitute Comp Time. Second, if you are overtime-exempt and worked an eight-hour day on Saturday (and Saturday was your scheduled day off) you are entitled to twelve hours’ worth of Comp Time, not just one day off. Plus, once you earn Comp Time, you get to schedule it whenever you want (subject to department availability). You also can exchange your Comp Time for cash.

• I’m overtime-eligible, but my boss said the department can’t pay overtime right now. Then you should feel free to tell your boss you can’t work overtime right now. On this point, Dow Jones and IAPE are in full agreement: if you occupy an overtime-eligible position and your boss assigns weekend work, you’re owed overtime pay. Period.

NewsGuild Joins Lawsuit Challenging Shutdown of U.S. Agency for Global Media

Journalists, federal workers, and their unions last week sued the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), its Acting Director Victor Morales, and Special Adviser Kari Lake to challenge “the unlawful shuttering of the agency and silencing of global media.”

The lawsuit was filed Friday in the Southern District of New York in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on March 14 effectively shutting down Voice of America and killing grant funding for Radio Free Asia and for Radio Free Europe.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say that the agency has failed to fulfill its legally required functions and violated both the freedom of journalists and the separation of powers when it ordered staff not to report to work, suspended contractors, turned off VOA’s news service, and locked the agency’s doors.

During a Monday news conference outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Manhattan, The NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss said that the Guild is “proud to join this lawsuit” seeking a temporary restraining order reversing the Mar. 14 action.

Schleuss said unions and workers have joined together to “fight this illegal action by the executive branch,” and called the USAGM shutdown “part of a long, troubling pattern by Donald Trump.”

“He has targeted journalists at CBS News for ‘60 Minutes’ reporting,” Schleuss said. “He has blocked Associated Press members from being able to attend White House events, he has blocked Reuters and Huffington Post and others, and he has also seized control of the Press Pool.”

Steve Herman, Chief National Correspondent and former White House Bureau Chief for VOA, called the USAGM dismantling “unconstitutional and unlawful,” and said that “defendants have maligned VOA journalists without basis as incompetent and even as terrorist sympathizers.”

Herman emphasized the risks that USAGM staffers from other nations face, saying that “journalists on J1 visas face imminent return to their countries, where some would certainly face prosecution and prison.”

Lead Counsel Andrew Celli explained that the parties will appear in court this Friday, and that he is seeking a ruling “to arrest and reverse the dismantling of the Voice of America.”

In addition to TNG-CWA, lawsuit plaintiffs include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and seven individual workers. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara is the lead plaintiff.

Workers at Radio Free Asia are represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, Local 32035 of TNG-CWA. IAPE is also a TNG-CWA Local union.

REMINDER: Join us tomorrow for Contract 101

In light of recent layoffs, 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 us tomorrow, Wednesday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. EDT for IAPE’s Contract 101, where we will focus on just cause protections, layoffs, seniority and severance.

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

Be a Steward!

And join us Wednesday, March 19 for steward training

IAPE is on the lookout for new stewards to join our ranks of volunteers. Stewards are regular union members who talk with fellow members, identify common issues and problem solve, all to create a more positive work environment.

We have some exciting training opportunities—starting Wednesday evening—to help you kick off your role as an IAPE steward. “Organizing Conversations” will explore how to talk to colleagues and keep people connected and engaged with IAPE in between contract negotiations. We’ll talk about the importance of listening, how to make new connections, and tips on moving colleagues to action. And, of course, we’ll practice!

This session will be held Wednesday, March 19 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. EDT. Register for this Zoom event at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Wi-QQnrtSFSj6PNtpN8u0Q

Contract 101!

The IAPE Contract 101 series is a great way to learn more about the collective agreement.

The next edition of IAPE’s Contract 101 will be held on Wednesday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. EDT and will focus on just cause protections, layoffs, seniority and severance.

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

In light of recent layoffs, 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 Wednesday!

COME JOIN YOUR FELLOW EMPLOYEES!

Have you wanted to get more involved in your union but weren’t sure how?  Becoming a steward is a great first step! We will be holding 2 more Steward Information sessions this week. Come learn what being a steward is all about. 

Sign up for a virtual info session! Hosted by current IAPE stewards and board members–the sessions will take place on Wednesday, March 12 at 1:00 p.m. EDT and 5:00 p.m. EDT. Join us to learn the answers to all your burning questions like “what even is a union steward?” and “how much of a time commitment is it?” (hint: not a lot!)

Register via this google form to lock in your spot today. Can’t wait to see you there!

WSJ Cuts News Staff Again

IAPE members are once again outraged at the news that several colleagues, including six IAPE-represented WSJ reporters, were laid off today in the San Francisco and New York bureaus.

Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones leadership continue to insist the waves of layoffs at bureaus across the country aren’t for cost cutting, but instead part of a restructuring—one which seems to have no end.

Earlier Tuesday, IAPE filed a grievance disputing the separation of some reporters in the San Francisco Technology Bureau into different departments, which may have improperly impacted seniority protection.

If Dow Jones violated our collective agreement with these latest layoffs, we’ll hold them accountable.

Your Dow Jones Colleagues Need Your Help!!

Sign up to be an IAPE steward and:

• mobilize coworkers

• help answer questions about our rights under the contract

• get involved with disciplinary, investigative meetings with management 

IAPE members who face disciplinary or investigative hearings have the right to have a union representative present. Under our new contract, management notifies IAPE of the hearings in advance, and members often opt to have a union rep to assist them through the process. Learn how this process works, and how to generally be a resource for your colleagues!

Want to learn more about becoming an IAPE steward? Sign up for a virtual info session! Hosted by current IAPE stewards and board members–the sessions will take place on Tuesday, March 4 and Wednesday, March 12 at 1:00 p.m. ET and 5:00 p.m. ET.

Register via this google form to lock in your spot today. Can’t wait to see you there!

Become an IAPE Steward!

Interested in joining the IAPE union steward network? Sign up for a virtual info session! Hosted by current IAPE stewards and board members–the sessions will take place on Tuesday, March 4 and Wednesday, March 12 at 1:00 p.m. ET and 5:00 p.m. ET. Join us to learn the answers to all your burning questions like “what even is a union steward?” and “how much of a time commitment is it?” (hint: not a lot!) 

Register via this google form to lock in your spot today. Can’t wait to see you there!

Join us for IAPE 101

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:

Sign up for IAPE 101.

Tomorrow—Wednesday, Feb. 26—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. While you’re there, feel free to enroll for the next installment of IAPE Contract 101, scheduled for March 19.

IAPE Joins SPJ Statement Calling on Trump Administration to Lift AP Ban

As an organization representing employees committed to journalistic values of fairness and objectivity, IAPE does not take positions on political issues. There is an exception, the same one that applies to Dow Jones’s general prohibition on news staff expressing opinions on political issues: Freedom of the Press, which, as if it needed to be said, both IAPE and the Dow Jones employees we represent unreservedly favor.

When an autocratic foreign government arrested WSJ correspondent Evan Gershkovich on bogus charges, we organized protests and took steps to push for his release and emphasize the broader principle that “journalism is not a crime.” Threats to that freedom have always existed within the U.S.; not for nothing does the First Amendment explicitly protect the press from government interference.

The Trump administration, you may have heard, has evicted the Associated Press from the White House and from Air Force One in retaliation for the news cooperative’s decision to retain the geographic descriptor “Gulf of Mexico” for a body of water the president directed the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to redesignate as “Gulf of America.” According to a 1954 Interior Department bulletin, the term “Gulf of Mexico” first appeared on a world map in 1550, and since the 17th century has been the internationally accepted name for the body of water.

IAPE takes no position on controversies of geographic nomenclature. But we do view it as a grave affront to the foundational principles of democracy for the federal government to coerce a news organization to alter its stylebook to promote the president’s agenda. Inane as the administration’s grievance may be, its retaliation, inflicting a serious disservice on the public the AP serves, is intolerable. Officials must be dissuaded from efforts to impress news organizations into promoting the president’s agenda, for intimidation of the press can only grow when the government has even greater objectives at stake—ones it may believe are better advanced by suppressing independent reporting of its actions.

On Thursday, the IAPE Board of Directors voted unanimously to join a statement of protest circulated by the national Society of Professional Journalists and signed by other media employee associations, including other NewsGuild locals. The statement is below.

— 

Joint statement of journalist-support organizations on government attacks on press freedom  

Fair, accurate and independent reporting is essential to a functioning democracy. Without it, corruption and misinformation flourish. As organizations that champion journalists and the public’s right to know, we strongly condemn the campaign underway in Washington to penalize independent reporting on the government and its activities.

In a protracted war over words, the Trump administration has banned the Associated Press from White House events because the news service continues to call the “Gulf of Mexico” by its long-standing name while acknowledging the president’s executive order renaming it the “Gulf of America.”

This disturbing challenge to journalistic independence is part of a troubling pattern that extends well beyond the White House press corps. For example, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission has taken extraordinary steps to investigate and intimidate broadcasters over their internal policies and constitutionally protected editorial decisions. These actions by the head of this historically bipartisan, independent regulatory body set a dangerous precedent and risk giving the government greater control over which voices are heard.

The administration also has evicted longtime news organizations from the Pentagon pressroom, giving their desks to news outlets that favorably covered the administration’s agenda.

President Trump and his congressional allies have long opposed what they viewed as government efforts to coerce speech. In 2023, for example. U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan and 44 other members of Congress said as much in a brief submitted in a U.S. Supreme Court case in which conservatives accused the Biden administration of coercing social media platforms to adopt pro-COVID vaccine policies. That brief in Murthy v. Missouri stated, “Official pressure to suppress speech violates the First Amendment.”

When leaders try to silence reporters through intimidation, legal threats and denial of access, they are not protecting the country; they are protecting themselves from scrutiny. This is how authoritarian regimes operate — by crushing dissent, punishing those who expose inconvenient facts and replacing truth with propaganda.

The First Amendment is an integral part of the U.S. Constitution that President Trump swore to “preserve, protect and defend.” He also signed an executive order on day one to "ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen." The president must abide by his oath of office and executive order and ensure that First Amendment principles are forcefully upheld.

In a nation founded on freedom of speech, regardless of party or ideology, the government can never compel agreement with its viewpoint as a condition of access to information. The administration must lift the ban on AP. And the administration must cease punishing news organizations based on their reporting.

Society of Professional Journalists

AAN Publishers (formerly Association of Alternative Newsmedia)

American Society of Magazine Editors

Asian American Journalists Association

Associated Collegiate Press

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

Buffalo Newspaper Guild - CWA Local 31026

Criminal Justice Journalists

Defending Rights & Dissent 

Denver Newspaper Guild - CWA Local 37074

Education Writers Association

Freedom of the Press Foundation

Inter American Press Association (IAPA) 

IAPE, Local 1096, TNG-CWA

Indigenous Journalists Association

iSolon.org

Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS)

Military Reporters & Editors

National Association of Black Journalists

National Association of Hispanic Journalists

National Association of Science Writers

National Federation of Press Women

National Press Photographers Association

National Scholastic Press Association

National Writers Union 

NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists

New Hampshire NewsGuild

Online News Association

Project Censored

Public Media Journalists Association

Quill and Scroll 

Radio Television Digital News Association 

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW)

Society of Environmental Journalists

The Association of Health Care Journalists

The Media Guild of the West - CWA Local 39213

The NewsGuild-CWA

The News Media Guild, Local 31222, TNG-CWA (union representing AP journalists)

The NewsGuild of New York 

The NewsGuild of Philadelphia TNG-CWA Local 38010

Toledo NewsGuild, CWA Local 34043

Washington-Baltimore News Guild