The Lexington Newspaper Guild, CWA Local 33229, the union that represents more than 80 journalists at the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader, is kicking off an educational media campaign on Nov. 26 to alert the public to The McClatchy Co.’s grab at employee sick leave and health benefits.
A 60-second radio advertisement has begun running on several Lexington-area radio stations. It urges listeners to visit fairnessatHL.com, where the public can sign a community petition asking Herald-Leader management to withdraw its mean-spirited, ill-considered contract proposals with the Guild.
At 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28, a Guild rally in Thoroughbred Park will feature the international president of The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America, Linda K. Foley, and Lexington labor activists. The Guild is a sector of CWA. Foley is a former Herald-Leader copy editor and was the president of the Lexington local before going to work for TNG.
McClatchy, based in Sacramento, Calif., purchased the Lexington Herald-Leader from Knight Ridder in June 2006. Among its first acts was paying former Knight Ridder executives nearly $60 million.
Yet, in contact talks with the Guild, McClatchy has demanded the right to slash or eliminate health care for part-time workers and cut sick leave for all workers. These stances contradict the Herald-Leader editorial board’s long-standing support for universal health care and economic justice.
The Herald-Leader’s contract with its newsroom workers expired on Jan. 1, 2007, but remains in effect via an evergreen clause. The health care and sick leave issues are the two biggest obstacles remaining in negotiations.
For more information, contact Brandon Ortiz, Lexington Newspaper Guild president, at bportiz@insightbb.com, or visit fairnessatHL.com.
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