By a nearly two-to-one ratio, Post-Dispatch unit members voted to accept management’s voluntary furlough proposal.  Voting occured over a two-day period in the newspaper and the official tally was 120 in favor, 64 opposed and 16 abstained. 

This means that between now and the end of the quarter, management will approach you to schedule your furlough.  Unlike managers, Guild members will be allowed to take the furlough one day at a time or take all five days at once.  The furlough for part-timers will reflect their normal work week. A three-day employee, for instance, will take a three-day furlough.

If you have any questions, you should contact Human Resources at 340-8065. If you have any problems, seek out your steward or contact the Guild office at 241-7046.

“This was an extremely difficult vote for our members,” Guild President Jeff Gordon said. “We have suffered a series of layoffs. We have lost many valued co-workers. And the company asked for still another huge sacrifice with no guarantee of job protection. But at the end of the day, many members felt compelled to make this sacrifice in the hope of averting more layoffs.”  

The Guild had offered to extend our current collective bargaining agreement for a year and accept a wage freeze in exchange for recommending accepting this furlough. But the company rejected that offer, so the Guild made no recommendation to its members.

While the vote was decisively in favor of accepting the furlough, nobody was happy about taking this financial hit in such difficult times. The Guild hopes the company respects our sacrifice and understands the pain that all our members feel.