Guild chairman is leaving

CORRECTION ON THIS POST: Gross was not laid off. Keeping the comings and goings straight is difficult. Hope this gets it straight.

Andale Gross was first laid off and then his job was saved and then he decided to resign voluntarily. That’s the story of the Akron Newspaper Guild unit chairman with nine years of service as a reporter.

His last day on the job as a Beacon Journal reporter will be October 11 and he will start working for Associated Press in Kansas City on October 23. Gross will just be going back home in a way. He is from Moberly, MO, which is about 100 miles from Kansas City.

The Guild is getting together nominees for his and other Guild positions for next year.

Here’s how Gross sums it up:

“The time that I've spent being active in the Guild has been especially rewarding. When I was asked to be a union steward years go, I never thought I would someday be the president of the Akron unit. It's been an honor to serve the union and its members. Although we've had some tough experiences recently with job cuts and change in ownership, our people have stood strong. Our stewards and officers have done an exceptional job of motivating and aiding the membership. I know that whoever replaces me will do fine because there are many strong leaders among our members.”

The Guild in Akron is a unit of the Northeast Ohio Guild in Cleveland.