Union will still fight for better benefits

Steve Yount, the president of the union that represents business journalists at Dow Jones & Co., sent the following e-mail to its members Monday about the new contract that was approved last week:

“The retro payments and the wage increases will appear in your paycheck as soon as they can be processed by payroll. The changes in the vacation/holiday/sick time policies and health care will take effect January 1, 2008. All those covered by this contract will receive two additional personal days to be used between now and the end of the year.

“Thank you for your vote and thank you for being engaged in the debate — but this is not the end of the process. In many ways, this is just the beginning. Every one of us must continue the efforts we’ve been making over the past years to build IAPE — to create a
union which can truly respond to our needs. We must continue to defend the contract and enforce the terms we’ve just won. Every eligible employee must continue to file for overtime, every time — and continue to file for premium pay every time we’re required to
work on a day off. We must continue the efforts to win improvements in working conditions and give our colleagues a real voice in dealing with managers who can’t seem to effectively manage.

“How well we do that job — together — over the next two years will go a long way in determining how we fare at the bargaining table with News Corp. in 2010. The stronger — and more relevant — we make our union, day-in-and-day-out, the better prepared we’ll be to deal with life as part of News Corp.

“Our commitment has to be unchanged and unbreakable: This is your union. IAPE exists solely to defend and promote your interests. That fight continues long after the headlines fade. For IAPE to be successful, you have to remain engaged and active.

“We’ve said it from the very beginning: Contract bargaining is not about what’s fair or what we deserve. The contracts we win are exactly what we’re strong enough to take. Getting stronger depends on how well we defend ourselves, each and every day. Getting stronger depends on a public display of solidarity– and a personal commitment
to each other.”