“As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, we imagine the new owners of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com sitting down in their more-than-comfortable homes for an elaborate meal with their families.
They have a lot for which to be thankful. They have great wealth. They are smart, they have worked hard, and they have earned it. They enjoy secure jobs, they enjoy secure income, they enjoy secure retirement plans, they enjoy the peace of mind of knowing their families will never do without.
Why would they deny some of the same peace of mind to their employees, who also are smart and who have worked hard? The difference is, union employees work for wages. Our long-standing contracts with the employer guarantee, at best, a fraction of what the ownership enjoys.
The Newspaper Guild members have been on the job for decades, creating the profitable products now published by Philadelphia Media Holdings. Our talent, our sweat equity, is in the Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com.
As talks continue, The Newspaper Guild continues to negotiate in good faith to secure a contract that is fair to our members and sustainable for our employers.
All we ask is a fair contract. Is that asking too much?
We wish one and all a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving Day.” — Stu Bykofsky
AMEN.