Tag Archives: Newspaper Guild

Who cares about the Newspaper Guild’s battle with the Hawaii Tribune-Herald?

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A reader’s comment posted here yesterday caught my attention and deserves a response.

With all due respect Ian, why in the world would you think the general readership of either Honolulu daily would be the least bit interested in a 5 year battle with Guild in Hilo??? I suspect the Editors there are just making a news interest level decision and not anything more sinister. It is especially true with the news content shrinking more and more to save money….other then a few die hards in local media, who really cares??

The problem is that neither Honolulu daily regularly covers labor news, at least not as labor news. Neither do our broadcast stations, with a few exceptions. Hawaii Public Radio does it’s part (Ben Markus recently reported on the Hilo situation, for example), as has PBN. But the mainstream is pretty much silent. So in one sense it’s no surprise that the Hilo situation is not considered news.

But think about it.

HSTA and furlough Fridays? Labor news. UH upheaval? Labor news. Legislative session coming up? Labor news, since organized labor is still recognized as a potent interest group. It’s just not covered as labor news, so readers don’t get much information about labor dynamics, key players, etc. The substance of a labor “beat is absent.

In this case, we’re talking about the main local newspaper in Hilo, the second largest city in the state, the seat of government for Hawaii County. And the Hawaii Tribune-Herald isn’t a stand-alone operation, since Stephens Media Group also owns a string of other publications on the island.

We’re talking about an unusual labor situation–a company renouncing its union contract–in a state which has the second-highest proportion of union members in the workforce. According to the the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hawaii had 136,000 union members in 2008, comprising some 24.3 percent of all employed wage and salary workers. Add in the tens of thousands of union retirees, and you’ve got a major chunk of the state’s population with a stake in the issues being played out in Hilo.

I think that, objectively speaking, this qualifies the potential audience for labor news as “substantial”.

And the story has compelling elements backed by lots of documentation accumulated during what the reader acknowledges has been a five-year contract fight. They’ve had illegal firings and unfair labor practices, which translate in this case to mean employees fired for their union activities. Lots of potential human interest stories to be told by out-of-town reporters.

Politically, this is a dynamite story. Hilo is traditionally a labor town. What does this conflict mean? Does it reflect a loss of labor power in this traditional stronghold? How will it impact the 2010 elections?

Actually, for a perceptive editor, what’s not to like about this story?

Hawaii labor issues in the news (or not)

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Isn’t this interesting.

A Hawaii Newspaper Guild press release on Monday reported that Stephens Media, owner of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald newspaper in Hilo, has announced plans to pull out of its Guild contract. This follows years of negotiations during which the company has been found to have used unfair and illegal labor practices, fired union activists, and negotiated in bad faith.

The press release was sent to more than 40 reporters and editors. A Google search this morning found a Pacific Business News story, but Google didn’t turn up any reporting by the major daily newspapers or any broadcast stations.

Considering that this is a significant event in labor news and journalism news, the lack of coverage is surprising disturbing.

Then there’s the latest go-around in negotiations between the state and HSTA, which broke off after a short meeting yesterday.

Gov. Lingle’s chief policy advisor quickly issued a statement spinning the issues, which was quoted by the Advertiser in its “breaking news” section.

“HSTA has falsely claimed that the Administration is removing teacher planning days. This is not true. The joint DOE/BOE Administration bargaining team has made it clear that teachers can retain all of their planning days, if they so desire. We are simply asking them to come back into the classroom for 27 days and allow students to learn,” Smith said in a statement.

The Advertiser reported Smith also complained that HSTA “wanted to renegotiate other portions of their contract, including provisions that require teachers to provide campus and playground supervision.”

Then Smith adds some critical information in a back-handed way.

“It is particularly unfortunate and very discouraging that in the most recent round of discussions, the HSTA has side-stepped the primary issue by proposing to reopen portions of the original contract unrelated to the furlough issue and is seeking changes that would compromise the safety of the children and limit their after-school programs. The HSTA is now saying they do not want teachers to participate in campus and playground supervision responsibilities during lunch hours. And they no longer want teachers to voluntarily participate in school-related activities after the regular school day – such as glee club, debate team, robotics, or prom night,” she wrote.

Wait a minute. While asking teachers to retain most planning days at their own expense, Linge/Smith react angrily to the suggestion that teachers already do a whole lot of things they aren’t being paid for, what Smith refers to as their “voluntary” participation in activities after the regular school day.

So what’s really being said here? Lingle/Smith blame the union for not agreeing to Lingle’s plan.

But the state’s offer generously allows teachers to work for free on most of those planning days. And according to a follow-up story in today’s Advertiser, the state’s plan would only bring teachers back into the classroom on those furlough Friday.

The governor’s plan only calls back “essential” teachers, meaning only regular classroom teachers, the union said.

The plan would not cover the salaries of health aides, educational assistants, office staff, security guards or cafeteria workers.

Teachers would presumably be expected to cover all of those additional duties necessary to make it through a “normal” school day.

And teachers would be expected to continue to “voluntarily” staff all those after-school activities as well.

What a deal for the teachers! No wonder negotiations are going nowhere.

For more on the teachers’ viewpoint, check out the HSTA on Facebook.

Wednesday…Gannett discrimination case dismissed, but documents still provide window to the newsroom

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The lawsuit has been dismissed. Former Advertiser deputy editorial page editor Pati Poblete failed to sustain the burden necessary to have a chance to show she was a victim of discrimination.

But documents and sworn statements made during the initial stages of the litigation nonetheless provide some interesting items. None have been tested through a trial’s give and take, but they’re still part of the record.

For example, ever wonder about the deals offered to Gannett managers? In mid-2006, Poblete was offered a $90,000 salary, immediate availability of vacation, $10,000 in moving and related expenses, and a $10,000 “signing bonus” to cover other incidental expenses.

That certainly sounds generous compared to the Guild scale.

And if you thought there might have been a pro-military slant in the Advertiser’s views at times, check what Poblete said about her initial job interview with then-president and publisher Mike Fisce.

According to Poblete:

“He expressed to me that he felt very strongly about the military and asked what my opinions were about the military….”

Poblete doesn’t describe her response to Fisch, but what would an aspiring Gannett manager likely say?

And I’m not sure this defense offered by Gannett lawyers will make local political candidates feel a lot better:

Poblete claims that Mariani-Belding said certain Filipino candidates were not smart, but Poblete admits that Mariani Belding would also refer to the ideas of non-Filipino candidates as stupid.

In any case, here are links to some of the documents filed in the case by both sides.

Defendant Gannett Publishing, LLC’s Separate concise statement of facts

Poblete claims that Mariani-Belding said certain Filipino candidates were not smart, but Poblete admits that Mariani Belding would also refer to the ideas of non-Filipino candidates as stupid.

***

Poblete never objected to the remarks Mariani-Belding made regarding political candidates when they were made.

***

In March or April of 2007, Poblete had decided that she did not want to keep working for The Honolulu Advertiser and she told her husband Ruben Poblete that she did not want to make arrangements to have their children come and live with her in Hawaii because she did not plan to stay very long.

***

While in California for the Thanksgiving holiday, Poblete interviewed for a job.

Deposition of Pati Poblete (excerpts), Part 1 and Part 2.

She (Mariani-Belding) said Phil Curry with Gannett corporate told her that they–they wanted her to become a publisher. She was not sure yet if that position was going to be in–in Honolulu or at a different paper, but she know it was going to happen.”

***

Q. What did you talk about with Mike Fische (sic)?

A. He asked me about my experience. He expressed to me that he felt very strongly about the military and asked what my opinions were about the military….

Email dated 12/6/2007 from Elizabeth Kieszkowski to Pati Poblete (turning down request for vacation over Christmas holidays)

Poblete’s resignation, same day.

Plaintiff’s concise statement

“Belding stated about Filipino candidates: Nestor Garcia-“has a brain the size of a pea”; Rida Cabanilla-“he’s dumber than a doorknob”; “oh, here comes another Filipino”; A.J. Hagalao-“no not him, he would just cater to his Filipino constituents”; “Filipinos sticking together”.

***

“Pl (plaintiff) only socialized with Belding because as Pl testified in her deposition, Belding would become “angry” when she learned that Pl socialized with others & did not invite Belding. Belding demanded to be part of Pl’s life in & out of work.”

Declaration of Pati Poblete

“Editor Belding told me that she could not tell anyone that she was recruiting me because I would be hired to replace the existing Deputy Editorial Page Editor Jerry Burris (Caucasian), who Editor Belding was “trying to move out”.

Employement offer as Deputy Editorial Page Editor

Your starting salary will be $90,000….We are waiving the usual requirement on vacation accrual so that you can begin taking vacation before your six-month anniversary….

***

We will pay your airfare and airfare for your two children from San Francisco to Honolulu. We will pay up to $10,000 that will include thefollowing: the movement of your household goods and one car, a rental car of up to one month and temporary housing of up to one month.

To assist you with any minor expense not associated with the package described here, you will receive a signing bonus of $10,000.

Response to Nov. 1 (2007) meeting with Miki Sugikawa, Honolulu Advertiser Human Resources Director

Jeanne claims that the comments she made about Filipinos were never meant to be offensive. THis means Jeanne acknowledges saying disparaging remarks about Filipinos, and that because she didn’t mean it to be offensive that it excuses her behavior. As national president of the Asian American Journalists Association, Jeanne should be well aware that this defense is inexcusable. It does not matter what her intention was.

Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, notice of charge of discrimination