Guild members approve new Bloomberg BNA contract

Members of the Newspaper Guild, Communication Workers of America who work at Bloomberg BNA overwhelmingly ratified a new agreement on March 14.

Janelle Hartman of the Guild writes, “Among other demands, Bloomberg wanted to remove 70 jobs from the bargaining unit. The Guild stood firm. And the company itself quickly pulled a proposal that would have taken away a special benefit: The opportunity for long-term employees to take a sabbatical.

“International Guild Representative Bruce Nelson said that when Bloomberg bought the company, once known as the Bureau of National Affairs, it ‘sent shock waves through the Guild leadership at BNA.

“‘This was an employee-owned company with a culture very unlike most of corporate America,’ Nelson said.  ‘Sure, they had their differences with management from time to time, but there was an environment of mutual respect and cooperation.  The fear was that Bloomberg would change all of that.’

“Within days of the sales announcement in 2011, Nelson said ‘Local and unit Guild leaders started planning for very different negotiations. They organized new members and mobilized the old ones, all in order to go to that bargaining table with a show of force.’

“In February, about 75 members turned out for a rally outside the company’s Arlington, Va., headquarters, with signs that read ‘Solidarity’ among other slogans.”

Read more here. Talking Biz News reported about the negotiations and the new contract on March 1.