As you all know by now, the Union has filed its seventh petition seeking to represent pressroom employees. We believe that it filed the petition now in the hopes that the Company would find it hard to campaign at this time of year and that you would be distracted by the holidays and other year-end activities.

If that was the Union’s strategy it miscalculated. We intend to continue to provide you with the FACTS and are confident that each of you understands that this election is something of vital importance to you and your families.

We know that the Union doesn’t want you listening to the Company and that it tells you the Company is not stating the true facts. But look at what has happened during EVERY PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN.

When the Company has told you what can happen in negotiations, the Company has regularly given you examples of SPECIFIC NLRB DECISIONS supporting what the Company says.

The Company has given you specific examples of what has happened in REAL CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS and had the indisputable facts or the contracts to prove it.

The Company has given you specific TRUTHFUL AND VERIFIABLE facts as to the Union’s history in negotiations, including its strike history.

If the things that the Company was saying were untrue, wouldn’t you expect the union to have shown you chapter and verse exactly what Company statements were untrue? But the fact is that the Union never has. Instead it has hidden behind vague and general accusations such as:

“[The Company] deliberately failed to mention the great GCIU contracts at hundreds of other newspapers. They also didn’t mention the 1,100 other GCIU contracts.”

Well ask them to tell you which of these 1,100 contracts provide newspaper pressroom employees wages and benefits even closely comparable to those you have here. Ask them how many they have negotiated in California. Ask them to tell you the TRUTH.

In the upcoming weeks we will continue to tell you the real facts. Consider them and then ask yourself: who is really telling me the TRUTH?


DON’T GAMBLE! – VOTE “NO”

posted by Ed Padgett | ¶ 2:54 PM