Election Day
Today is the decertification election for The Newspaper Guild union at The Patriiot-News. As I've mentioned before, I am president of the Guild local here, the latest but hopefully not the last in the local's 72-year history. We must get 50 percent plus one of the bargaining unit members voting to stay in existence. We are confident we will win, but it will be close and every vote will count. Some of our members have cut vacations short to come back to vote in this life-or-death election. Having a union during troubled times for the newspaper industry is comforting protection for many of us. Newspapers without unions may command a premium price on the market when put up for sale, but their reporters and editors pay the real price.
The officers of the Guild have had to deal with ancient, forgotten grievances during this decert campaign, issues that long predated their own volunteer service to their co-workers. Perhaps the most inflammatory and hurtful was the accusation by one of our enemies that we had once tried to equate a staff member with substance abuse problems to staff members who died of cancer, a story that dates back to the early-1990s. We supposedly did this to muster support for saving her job. It simply never happened, but when a slur like that is dumped in your lap, it knocks you off kilter. You wrack your brain trying to remember what really happened, and wonder how you can prove a negative.
By chance last night, I ran into Irwin Aronson, a local labor lawyer. He was receiving an award from the Keystone Research Council. I was there to cover New York Times columnist Paul Krugman's speech. He was the Guild's lawyer years ago before his law firm split and he moved to a different firm. I told him about the decert election today, and he told me about some of the company's attempts to decertify the Guild and other unions at the paper in the early 1980s. The other unions are gone, but we have always survived. He wished us the best in our efforts to stay alive.
I want to publicly thank the international staff of The Newspaper Guild in Washington, D.C., especially Bruce Nelson, for the untiring help and assistance they have given us during these trying weeks. I would also like to thank the Guild members at the York Daily Record, Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who took time to come to Harrisburg to meet with bargaining unit members here and spread the good word. The Communication Workers of America, our parent union, has also been very supportive, especially organizer Pam Tronsor. My fellow Guild officers Chris Millette, Janet Pickel, Chris Courogen, and Andy Isaacs, and former Guild president Mary Klaus have worked hard to stop decertification from happening. Guild members Jim Brown, Mike Fernandez, and Steve Farley have also contributed much to the cause.
Now, on to the election. I have people to get to the polls. We will win this, and preserve our stake in our own destiny. To me, it's a no-brainer.