#15 in a Series

The Eastern Breeze

NY Times Television, Guild Election Results, Quarterly Meeting

by Martin Levenstein, Guild 2nd Vice President

Late last year, the National Labor Relations Board supervised an election held to determine whether a majority of editorial professionals working at New York Times Television wanted to be represented by the Editors Guild. When the votes were counted on Dec. 4, the result

Our new board has the experience and commitment to lead us forward.

was a resounding “Yes!” After disputes were resolved, the final tally was 49-38, with 80% of eligible employees voting. This election was the culmination of a months-long drive led by Tris Carpenter, Guild National Organizer.

The campaign began when several freelance employees at NYT Television contacted Business Representative Norman Gay to discuss union representation. Gay determined that the company had employed a substantial number of freelance editors and assistants on several different series during the past year. He contacted Carpenter and Assistant Executive Director Cathy Repola to inform them of this organizing target, then worked closely with Carpenter on the campaign. Some of the employees were already Guild members, but most were not. The fight was not easy, with NYT Television expending plentiful resources in an attempt to discredit the union and convince employees they would be better off without such representation.

Carpenter and Gay were supported in their drive by several NYT Television employees, who worked hard to make their colleagues understand the benefits of union representation, and by Assistant Executive Director Paul Moore. The battle and its conclusion merited a full page by Cynthia Cotts in the Press Clips section of the Dec. 25, 2001 Village Voice (“From Cesareans to Sweatshops: The Times Does Reality TV,” Vol. XLVI No. 51, page 38).

By winning the election, the Guild and the workers won a “Certification of Representative,” which means that the Guild has been legally designated by the workers and the National Labor Relations Board to represent post production employees at NYT Television. The next step will be to negotiate a contract. A committee of six persons from the editorial staff has been assembled to work with Guild representatives to develop proposals. (For more on NYT-TV, see Tris Carpenter’s article.)

National Board of Directors Election Results

Congratulations to Louis Bertini and Laura Congleton, who won reelection to the Guild Board of Directors as Eastern Region representatives, and to Kent Blocher and Harry Bolles, who won re-election as Eastern Region alternates. I was re-elected Guild 2nd Vice President, running unopposed. (For more on the election, see Guild Election Results.) All terms are for three years and began on Jan. 1, 2002. Eastern Region directors and alternates attend monthly Eastern Region board meetings in New York, and they also attend monthly national board meetings via a conference call hookup (they fly to LA for quarterly meetings). If a director is unable to attend a national quarterly meeting, an alternate may go instead.

Over the next three years, many issues of special importance to the Eastern Region will be brought before the Guild. The new national agreement with the AMPTP needs to be implemented, and new organizing ventures to strengthen the Guild and its membership are being addressed. We must also ensure that our members have the ability to train in and stay on top of new technology. I am confident that the new board, including our Eastern Region representatives, has the experience and commitment to deal with these issues and lead us forward.

December Quarterly Membership Meeting

Our quarterly membership meeting was held on Dec. 5. It was the day after the NYT Television ballots were counted, and Tris Carpenter was able to announce the successful outcome of the election. He introduced several members of the Times Television editorial staff and thanked them for their help in initiating and organizing the campaign. During the Q&A that followed, Carpenter told the audience that the Guild is focusing on organizing reality/documentary style television. He asked for members’ help in identifying other shows that the Guild should pursue. Please contact Tris at (800) 705-8700, or call the Guild anonymously through our 24/7 hotline at (800) 432-EDIT.

Paul Moore led a discussion about the recently negotiated national agreement, answering questions and giving members the most up-to-date information. There was a great deal of interest from the 40 to 50 members present.

I am very pleased that over the past year and a half, attendance at these meetings has grown steadily. In the Eastern Region, we have general membership meetings four times annually. This year’s meetings will take place on March 7, June 5, Sept. 4 and Dec. 4. They are held at 7 p.m. on the ground floor of 322 West 48th Street. These meetings are your opportunity to stay in touch with the union leadership, as well as an excellent way to meet other members (we serve a light dinner). Please try and make the next meeting!