Union membership at Dow Jones "engaged"

Steve Yount, the president of the union representing journalists at Dow Jones & Co. operations such as The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch and Dow Jones Newswires, posted a note on the union’s web site Tuesday morning noting that members have never been as “engaged” this early in contract talks before.

Yount wrote, “The ‘long-timers’ among us have told me they’re never seen the membership as engaged this early. It has to be a surprise to the company as well.”

Yount is asking union members at Dow Jones to wear buttons at work and while they’re on the air and to post fliers at their desks to show solidarity in their contract talks.

Yount wrote, “It has been clear since the very beginning of contract talks with Dow Jones that the company believes you’ll ‘roll over’ in six months and accept a quintupling of your health care costs. We need to show the company it’s wrong.

“It is important to continually remind Dow Jones that we’re engaged in the fight — every last one of us — and that we’re unified as never before.”

Read more here.