April 5, 2004

Sun-Times unit prepares to bargain with Black

By Bob Mutter
Sun-Times unit co-chair

The Sun-Times unit is preparing for negotiations. Our contract expires at the end of September, and the Negotiating Committee has already met and is preparing a questionnaire for the membership.

Talks across the table with company representatives should begin in early to mid-summer.

The last contract was negotiated in the dismal environment created by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 (a day on which we had a meeting scheduled) and the subsequent economic fallout.

We believed the company when we were told there wasn't any money because ad revenue was in the toilet. Little did we know that there was still plenty of money for Conrad Black and his henchmen.

This time around, things should be different.

We have a new publisher, and hiring to get us back up to the minimum needed to cover this city adequately has been a priority. Last time, one of our main pushes was for a minimum staffing level. Maybe we were heard after all.

A lot of anger at the high-handedness of the Hollinger crew continues and is expected to fuel us as we prepare for new contract negotiations