The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia

ACTION TAKEN TO PROTECT MEMBERS

Dear Guild Members:  Just a quick note to inform you that the NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia has asked our attorney to request immediate protection of members against any data breach resulting from the cyberattack at The Inquirer. A letter has been sent to Tom Zipfel, vice president of labor relations, which says in part that […]

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STILL NO MEANINGFUL ANSWERS

Dear Guild Members:It is with a mix of dismay and frustration that I write this 10 days after Inquirer management announced “anomalous activity” that forced the shutdown of some of our systems, prohibited us from working in the office for a week and spawned all sorts of fears about the compromise of employee data, from […]

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INKY CYBERATTACK

Hi all. I just wanted to check in to acknowledge the many concerns about not hearing anything definitive from The Inquirer about whether personal data has been compromised in the cyberattack.  The company has insisted it has no answers on that yet. As I told the New York Times reporter when he asked me about that, I […]

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GUILD PENSION SAVED!!

April 26, 2023billrossInquirer

Dear Guild Members,  It is with delirious delight that Bill and I bring you news hot off the presses that our pension fund’s application for $292,173,268 from the American Rescue Plan HAS BEEN APPROVED. And it gets even better: the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is granting an additional $4,002,193.82 in interest (from the application submission date) for […]

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BARGAINING BEGINS!

February 9, 2023billrossInquirer

Dear Guild members: Just a quick note to let you know that the Guild and The Inquirer begin bargaining today for a new collective agreement to replace the three-year contract that expires in March. Your bargaining team includes: Jonathan Lai, Amy Rosenberg, Bill Ross and me. As I have announced in the past, we have […]

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DESPICABLE, DISGRACEFUL LAYOFFS

January 27, 2023billrossInquirer

Dear Guild members, It is with a mix of disgust and outrage that I report that four of our members, three from the newsroom and one from advertising, were laid off this morning. We hear over and over how our ownership here at The Inquirer “is different,” that ownership by a nonprofit does not involve […]

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Guild President Diane Mastrull elected to top News-Guild-CWA Post.

On Saturday January 7, 2023 News-Guild-CWA delegates nominated and elected by acclamation Diane Mastrull to a first 4 year term as Sector Chairperson. Mastrull is an editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and president of The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia, TNG-CWA 38010. Mastrull will replace Martha Waggoner, who served as chair since 2011.

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JOIN THE NEW YORK TIMES SOLIDARITY STRIKE

December 8, 2022billrossGuild News, Inquirer

Dear Guild Members:Unfortunately, yet another media company has decided that jerking our members around is how you show them how much you value them.Today our fellow Guild members at the New York Times are showing their disgust with this tactic and standing up for themselves with a one-day strike. Please join me in showing them […]

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BUYOUT/LAYOFFS/HYBRID WORK STATUS

November 29, 2022billrossGuild News, Inquirer

Dear Guild Members,  Just a quick update on where things stand with regard to the buyout, possible layoffs and the return-to-office plan at The Inquirer. At the urging of the Guild, the Company has extended the application deadline for those interested in the buyout to this Friday, Dec. 2. (It had been the Friday after […]

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BUYOUT BULL…

November 15, 2022billrossGuild News, Inquirer, Media

Dear Guild Members:   Stunned to get a message from The Inquirer’s publisher speaking of “a tough economic climate,” inflation and a “likely” recession necessitating a buyout after just hearing at the last quarterly update about us hitting or exceeding all sorts of goals, including the much-prized digital subscriptions? Well, I’m not. Nothing coincidental about […]

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