Member meeting, scholarship offers, dues max adjustment

01/21/2015

The Newspaper Guild of New York will hold its annual winter meeting next week amid a swirl of contract campaigns, continued uncertainty in the news business and a decision by our parent union to change its name. 

Contract campaigns include a major dispute with Time Inc. management, which has posted work rules. We are also seeking contracts at the Jersey Journal, Reuters and Consumer Reports, and responding to layoffs at The New York Times and El Diario. In addition, delegates to the sector conference of our parent union last week voted to change its name from The Newspaper Guild-CWA to The NewsGuild-CWA (dropping “paper”). Our local is considering a similar move. 

You’re invited to hear and take part in discussions of these and other matters. You'll hear reports from Guild President Bill O'Meara, Secretary-Treasurer Peter Szekely and Local Chairperson Karen Rohan. 

DATE: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 (UPDATE: Postponed to Feb. 3 due to blizzard)
TIME: 6:15 p.m. EST
PLACE: Guild office, 1500 Broadway Suite 900 (northeast corner of Broadway and 43rd Street)
REFRESHMENTS: Will be provided.
OPEN TO MEMBERS ONLY: Please RSVP at info@nyguild.org

 

Scholarships offered to Guild members

 All Guild members and their families are eligible to apply for two separate college scholarships, one offered by the Communications Workers of America, the Guild’s ultimate parent union, and the other offered by the AFL-CIO’s money-saving Union Plus program.

To apply for a Union Plus Scholarship, you’ll need to hurry. The application deadline is Jan. 31. The program grants one-time cash awards of $500 to $4000 to eligible undergraduate and graduate students at U.S. learning institutions for the 2015-2016 school year. Continuous union membership of at least one full year as of May 31, 2015 is required. For details and an online application form, CLICK HERE.

The CWA’s Joe Beirne Foundation Scholarship program is offering 15 partial college scholarships of $3000 each for undergraduate and graduate students in the 2015-2016 school year. Winners also will get second-year scholarships upon satisfactory academic accomplishment. The application deadline is April 30. For more information and an online application form, CLICK HERE.

 

Dues max adjustment to kick in March 1
For most members, there will be no increase

Each year, the maximum weekly salary on which dues may be assessed increases. Despite these annual increases, which are spelled out in the constitution of The NewsGuild-CWA, the New York Guild has not always increased its maximum dues-assessable salary.

Effective March 1, however, the maximum salary will increase to $2349.99 per week from $2249.99. Currently, the dues rate for members earning more than $2249.99 a week is effectively less than the 1.3846 percent (plus $1 a month) paid by members who earn less than that amount. Raising the maximum salary means that the effective dues rate for all members earning up to $2349.99 will be equal. No dues will be assessed on weekly earnings above $2349.99, which is still below the current maximum in the TNG-CWA constitution.

For the large majority of members, there will be no increase in dues. Those earning more than $2249.99 a week, however, will see an increase of up to $1.38 a week.

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