Mutual crisis acknowledged

Bargaining began Wednesday with all in agreement that significant contract issues will revolve around employee retention. “Your interest is our interest,” said Matt Lynch, Hearst’s negotiator. Lynch said while he wouldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be any arguing at the table, P-I management is intent on listening and understanding issues that have become key to employees during this difficult time.

Those issues, according to contract survey results from bargaining unit members, were wages, job security and employee morale. The bargaining team presented a proposal with those issues in mind and took a problem-solving approach meant to keep people working and enjoying their work at the P-I.

Among the key issues are:

• Paid Time Off – We want to eliminate the 320-hour limit on accrual and the limits to the amount of PTO employees can cash out upon leaving. We also would like to give employees more leverage in scheduling time off when they reach a certain level of PTO hours.

• Sick Leave – The company had asked the Guild two years ago to amend the sick leave policy clarifying the conditions under which people are paid when they are sick. We have reviewed and revised that proposal to what we believe would be a fairer accounting of sick leave wages.

• Hours & Overtime ‑ We have asked for a larger compensation for employees required to split their days off and have added language that would restrict managers from changing regular days off to avoid the accrual of extra PTO for holidays. We have also asked for a $5 night differential instead of the current $1 a night.

• 401(K) – We’ve asked for a match. We have reserved most economic proposals, such as retention incentives and wages, for future bargaining sessions. Yours truly, Team P-I: Art Thiel, Candace Heckman, Athima Chansanchai and Kery Murakami