In another major victory for the News Media Guild, The Associated Press has agreed to rescind byline quotas in Ohio to settle a charge, filed by the union, that the company violated federal labor law by establishing the quotas mid-contract.
The Guild's Executive Committee voted June 28th to accept the settlement, in which AP agrees to rescind numeric byline and enterprise standards as well as written warnings to two staffers.
"I'm delighted to hear that the company has given in on the byline quota issue," said Cincinnati sportswriter Joe Kay, whom other Ohio staffers said led the fight against the quotas. "The union stood fast against them from the day they were imposed. This protects the jobs of every AP staffer who would be jeopardized if managers were allowed to disregard the contract."
The quotas were imposed Feb. 26 and added to the Ohio staff handbook two days later. But on June 2, in a visit to the Seattle bureau, AP President Tom Curley denied that quotas existed in Ohio.
Shortly after the quotas were imposed, NMG filed an unfair labor practice charge, accusing the AP of violating federal labor law by unilaterally imposing the quotas mid-term during the contract. While the Guild was willing to discuss the issue with AP, it said job security issues were fully discussed during the last negotiations so bargaining wasn’t required. The National Labor Relations Board took affidavits from those involved.
“There are a lot of people to thank for this victory, including our administrator, Guild legal counsel, The Newspaper Guild, and NMG’s Professional Activities Committee,” said NMG President Tony Winton. “But the largest share of the credit goes to the courageous staffers in Ohio and their colleagues around the nation who spoke out and mobilized against this threat to quality journalism and our job security,” Winton said.
The quotas came about after Guild-covered staffers in Ohio met with their managers about ways to find more time for enterprise. As a result, several night shifts were eliminated, including weekends, a decision that was applauded by staff. That soured quickly when AP imposed its byline quota by disciplining two staffers.
The settlement marks one of several Guild victories in the past two years, including the reinstatement of Mark Foley as a Florida photographer and Melissa Murphy to her job in AP Digital. Murphy also received full back pay, an exceptional win for the Guild.
The National Labor Relations Act requires employers to provide unions with adequate notice of any intended rules it wants to set that affect terms and conditions of employment. The union then has the right to demand good faith bargaining over the subject. Negotiating mid-term during a contract is not required where contract terms exist.