PROGRESS MADE;

MILES TO GO

November 17, 2006

The Guild and the Company made progress Thursday and Friday, reaching tentative agreements on some contract issues affecting our advertising and editorial members and closing the gap on other issues.

But the sides remain far apart on such major items as pension, incorporating the Suburban Writers and Photographers under the Main Unit contract.

On seniority, the Company did move off its original position that allowed it to consider anything in deciding which employee should stay or go in the event of newsroom layoffs at the Inquirer and/or Daily News. But its new proposal is no more palatable.

“It still allows critical decisions about future employment to be easily manipulated by unfair or vindictive managers and editors,” Guild President Henry J. Holcomb said.

The Company’s new proposal relies on documented performance reviews of employees that Company representatives yesterday acknowledged don’t currently exist. So if the job cuts currently threatened take place, they will be based on seniority, the same as required by the current contract.

Under the Company’s new seniority proposal, in a group targeted for layoffs where the documented performance of employees is not “relatively equal,” “junior” employees with “superior document performance” could be retained and more senior employees fired. Where documented performance is “relatively equal,” the employee with the least seniority would be let go.

Despite the rumors, threats and innuendo, the Company has not informed the Guild of a planned layoff as required by the contract.

While the Guild objects to any layoffs, it continues to advocate at the bargaining table for a seniority-based system.

The Guild bargaining committee will meet with the federal mediator Saturday to continue working on counterproposals.

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