Reuters union requests mediator

The Newspaper Guild of New York asked Thomson Reuters management on Friday to return to the bargaining table with a private mediator in an effort to resolve its protracted contract negotiations.

A statement on the union’s website states, “Noting the acrimony that has surrounded the two-year-old talks, Guild President Bill O’Meara suggested that, for at least 90 days, both sides turn to Martin F. Scheinman, a highly respected New York area labor mediator and arbitrator.

“‘As you know, the Guild and Reuters have had a great deal of difficulty in this round of negotiations,’ O’Meara said in a letter to Jay Krupin, the company’s outside labor counsel. ‘You think it’s our fault, the Guild thinks it’s Reuters fault, and neither of us will convince the other that they are wrong.  In situations like these, parties often turn to mediators.  I think that makes sense here.’

“The Guild proposed using Scheinman for at least 90 days and splitting his fee with the company. During his lengthy career in labor relations, Scheinman has mediated many high-profile contract disputes, mostly in the New York area. As an arbitrator, he has given the Guild mixed results in disputes with several employers, including at least two losses in disputes with Reuters over the past 12 years.”

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