The Indianapolis Newspaper Guild has won pay raises for most of its workers but was unable to stop The Indianapolis Star’s plans for outsourcing, which could ship up to eight jobs out the state.
The Guild’s contract negotiating team reached a tentative agreement Thursday with representatives of The Indianapolis Star in a deal which must still be ratified in a vote by the Guild’s membership.
The agreement was the definition of a compromise.
In an industry still cutting jobs and cutting pay, the deal would award the Guild’s workers raises of 2 to 4 percent, with the highest raises going to some of the Guild’s lowest paid workers. But it was only a small step toward restoring the 10 percent pay cuts the Guild took two years ago.
Despite making it a focal point of the Guild’s “Save the Star” campaign, the Guild’s team found that outsourcing the page design work was an area where The Star was unyielding. We made a strong case — in leafletting efforts, a street protest, a media campaign and at the bargaining table — that this could damage the local news product. But it became clear that this was an edict from Gannett, The Star’s parent company, and that the quality of the product was a secondary consideration to saving money.
The Guild knew this was an uphill battle going in. We were told this was one we couldn’t win. But we felt it was worth trying. And if Gannett attempts future outsourcing in Indianapolis, they can be assured we will wage an even more ardent campaign to resist such an effort.
At present, The Star hasn’t specified exactly what pages will be designed in Louisville or how many journalists in Indianapolis will be displaced. The last estimate we were given was six to eight.
The pay raises, while not fully restoring our 10 percent cuts from two years ago, were significant. Our industry is still in job and pay cutting mode. And newspaper unions around the country are still facing cuts such as the ones we took two years ago.
That we could squeeze out even these modest raises was a testimony the efforts of our workers and our friends in the community and the breadth of our public campaign.
The Guild, with financial help from the Communications Workers of America, purchased five billboards, ran three months of messaging on public radio, handed out more than 5,000 leaflets in Downtown locations and staged a protest/rally in front of The Star in November that was a first in the Guild’s history.
More importantly, we engaged people from the community in our cause. We received calls, emails, letters and thousands of page views on SavetheStar.com.
Leaders of the faith community — Jewish, Christian, Muslim and others — confronted The Star’s executives about the inequity of our pay cuts at a time of multimillion dollar bonus among Gannett’s executives. Those faith leaders also took a stand about the importance of a local newspaper being produced locally. For that, we will always be grateful.
The Guild’s ratification vote will take place next month.
While this round of bargaining is over, we remain committed to preserving quality journalism in Indianapolis. We will continue to resist any attempts to diminish that quality.
We will continue our efforts to Save the Star.
Will you help us Save the Star?
The Cincinnati Enquirer is in the same situation. Huge cuts in staff, production moving to Louisville and printing moving to Columbus. The paper is a joke. Guess what? No one cares, least of all the readers. They’ll just find another source of information (probably Fox News). Good luck tilting at windmills.
Find a wealthy IU alum to save your paper. It is the best recruiting tool that they have. Today’s one-sided article about IU and Purdue recruiting should be an embarrassment to any legitimate sports journalist. I delivered the Star over 50 years ago and have subscribed to it for an adult lifetime, but I don’t think that I can stand it any more. Photos of two IU recruits and Kevin Wilson and none from Purdue. An article full of quotes from IU’s Wilson and his supporters and no quotes from Purdue’s coach about its recruiting.
Two things the Star had better do soon, or I will quit subscribing: Get the daily TV listings back in the paper, and get some hard news coverage in the suburban areas.
I would think (by now) the employees of the Star are sick to death of they way they are treated by Gannett. For God’s sake the people of Indianapolis don’t get real journalism from this rag anymore.
Rather than save what is a rag of a paper, why not start a competing paper that will put principle first.
I loathe the Indianapolis Star, Gannett, and the policies of that paper. I will never support the paper. I do however, think a lot of the employees have talents that would be better served elsewhere.
Apparently Star employees aren’t sick enough to leave and quit enabling Gannett. A few bailed out shortly after Gannett took over. But, even they continue to simply complain about The Star, taking no real action. I wonder if there will ever come a day when modern journalists tell the corporations … “No more.”
Sadly, I think I know the answer to that question. Of course, there are still some good reporters and editors out there who aren’t on the corporate VIP list. But, so many modern journalists want new cars and expensive homes. They’re willing to overlook major corporate affronts to basic reporting and journalistic integrity, if it means they can vacation in Cancun again this year and live near Carmel.
Get your heads out of affluence, people. Grow a pair and get with the program.
Dear Bobbalouie,
I’m not sure what reporters you know. But the two vehicles that belong to this reporter and his wife were built in the last century and each have 180,000 miles, door handles that are broken, windows that don’t work and other signs of their age. Our home is modest and very middle class. Vacations? How does a long weekend with family in Kentucky sound? Lavish, right.
I’m not the exception on any of these fronts.
As for overlooking journalistic affronts, have you been paying attention? That’s a good part of what our little revolt is about. We’ve been battling with the powers that be for ethical standards regarding the influence of advertisers on the news. We’ve been trying to preserve the jobs of the people who investigate and hold accountable the powers that be in this state.
As for growing a pair, more than 100 of our people stood out on a public street Wednesday before God, the world, their employer (whose office windows overlooked the scene and the TV cameras — all to say that they object to what’s happening to their newspaper. If you don’t recognize that as courage, there’s no hope for you.
Bobby King
President, The Indianapolis Newspaper Guild
Seriously? You think any print journalists make enough money to live near Carmel? Wow. The only journalists I know of that make enough money to take regular vacations and live near Carmel are broadcast journalists. The only people making money in the newspaper business are the execs.
I take exception to today’s front page. Equating the anarchist, purposeless group invading NY this week with the Tea Party is inaccurate, lazy and blind. The tea party groups did not keep businesses from running or traffic from flowing. They were not centrally controlled. Several hundred of the anarchists in NY organized by Van Jones were arrested. How many of the Tea Party went to jail? Compare the amount of trash left and disruption by each group. Quite disingenuous to slap that headline on today’s front page. Are you just begging me to cancel my subscription?? ACCURACY, please, above all else. Bring back the Indianapolis Star and get rid of Bloomberg, the AP and Gannett. Where are the Pulliams? The press used to be a watchdog. Now they appear to be a lapdog. Please bring back the press who went after Nixon and Carter. Without a free, accurate press our country is doomed.
Thank you for creating this site. It’s been very apparent to me as an old newsie that the Star’s “news hole” has been shrinking and we get big headlines, big graphics and big pictures in place of a full diet of local news. Gannett is an octopus that has strangled or helped to strangle many good news organizations. New technologies have aggravated the damage Gannett began. I like Dennis Ryerson’s columns. He’s had the courage to tell Naptown to wake up to some of its flaws and change for the better… but that’s no substitute for a full and experienced news staff.
Why should I care about saving the Star, when the Star doesn’t care. Here is my story. For background purposes, I was a carrier from 7th grade until H.S. graduation. I was proud of my job and the fact that I rarely, if ever, missed a customer. If I did, I would immediately deliver a paper. I have lived at my current address for 7+ years. During that span, I have been missed on average 3-6x/year! When I am missed, I get the usual, “we are sorry sir, a paper will be delivered by____.” yet I never get a paper. Several years ago when I told the rep that I was missed quite frequently (and trust me, it really isn’t that difficult) she confirmed and promised that a manager would call me. I was never called. Ever. My carrier used to put daily inserts in the paper requesting tips and instructing the customer to call him if there was a delivery issue. When he missed my paper, I did as instructed and called him. his response was to tell me that if there was a delivery issue to call the Star. He then hung up. I sent a letter to the Star explaining how frustrated I was – no one called me.
I was missed today (October 23, 2011). My neighbors received their newspapers. I called at 9:30 and was informed that a paper would be delivered “in 90 minutes.” I called at 11:30 (still no paper) and was told carriers “have until 12 to deliver the paper.” As I type this I still don’t have a paper, and guess what? – the office is now closed. I explained (again) that I am constantly missed. The rep told me a manager would call. Right. I’ve been promised that before. I’m still waiting for the call.
I recently dropped to Sunday only. The paper and the content shrinks daily. The staff don’t care. Why should I? If the Star doesn’t care enough that my carrier can consistently deliver my paper, If the Star doesn’t care enough to have a manager call me about this 7 year, on-going problem, Why should the Star be saved? The Star has never given me one indication that they care if I do or don’t receive their paper.
The only way to save the Star is to get it out of Gannet hands. Otherwise it’s like an old sick dog, it’s better to shoot it now and get it over with. Why delay the inevitable while everyone suffers? Like another poster stated take what talent the Star has left and give Indianapolis the product we deserve.
Wow! I am discouraged by how negative these replies are. I am concerned about all the people in the city not receiving decent wages and about all the efforts to undermine and destroy unions. Apparently, it is affecting you. My best to all the Star employees and to society in general. May we returnto the realization that people are the greatest asset of any business. Life is short. We need to care for each other in the decades that are ours. Donna Monday
I was a employee of the transportation department of the Indianapolis Star, then they sold us to Penske and we did the same job. But like everyone else associated with Gannett, we took pay cuts and concessions. At the end of it all we found a copy of the contract between Gannett and Penske, and we were lied to. The two companies planned to get rid of us all along. It was in the contract that when Penske laid us off for good, The Star would re-imbursde Penske for the severance money that would be paid to us, but Penske refused to pay us anything. We never got to even vote to save our job with ANOTHER pay cut. Penske came to us every year and said if we want to “save our jobs” we need to give up something and we did. Penske was getting more money each year in return from the Star. Then at the end of it all they just booted us out the door. In the worst economic times in the history of the world. Thanks, teamsters 135, thanks Penske, and Thanks indianapolis Star. There is still a pending law suit against them for 6.9 mil from the transportation department, pray for us. That’s how we need to “save” the Star.
One day? That’s all you’ve got?
Wow. That’s courageous.
You’re all a bunch of crybabies. If you want to run a company, then go out and buy your own. Nobody has the right to tell an employer how to run his/her business. If you don’t like the way things are being done or the wages you are earning, you do have the right to leave!! Quit your constant whining and get out of your entitlement lifestyle. It’s a new era boys and girls. I’ll bet if somebody offered you a $30M bonus you wouldn’t turn it down. What a bunch of hypocrites. You’re like a bunch of 5 year olds, you get all bent out of shape becuase somebody else has something you don’t. WORK FOR IT and you will achieve.
Mark,
Thanks for your comment. As a group of 125 journalists and building service workers, we don’t have a few hundred million needed to purchase the company. But we’ve been seeking potential local buyers. A great many of our folks have quit. Those that remain care about the community and the journalism and are trying to bring about positive changes. As for turning down the $37-Million bonus, four of our Guild’s leaders were offered bonuses last week. They turned it down because the vast majority of their coworkers weren’t getting one. It wasn’t $37-million. But in relative terms it would have helped pay a few bills. We’re a hard-working bunch. We don’t want riches. But if you still think the vast majority of Americans can work their way to wealth in the current corporate climate, you haven’t been paying attention. Despite what you’re hearing on talk radio, that happens about as often as you winning the lottery.
Get a clue. Yes, the employees do have a say-so in how a business should be run. It’s called collective bargaining, And since you believe so firmly in authoritarian and draconian measures for employees, why don’t you move to a totalitarian country where you belong? These people aren’t whiny cry babies. They’re people who’ve worked hard for a company which is only interested in profits and doesn’t value its employees. Entitlement lifestyle? Do you even read anything? Print journalists make far less than broadcast journalists and less than other professionals with degrees. Most people do it for the love of it. That’s why they stay. So, don’t lecture journalists about hard work. You’re the 5-year-old — because you opened your mouth and began talking about something which you obviously know nothing about.
All you so-called conscientious Gannett employees need to answer a few questions for Marion County residents:
HOW MANY SMALL, INDEPENDENTLY-OWNED, WEEKLY OR DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN THE INDY METRO AREA HAS YOUR COMPANY KILLED SINCE IT TOOK OVER?
How many of you actually helped destroy these papers?
And you just sat there and cashed your paychecks?
And now you’re whining about it?
You enable Gannett.