Labor unrest is simmering just below the surface at the New York Times Co., and the unions appear to be gearing up for a protracted fight.
Sources say that the Communications Workers of America, the parent union of the Newspaper Guild and others, has earmarked a $350,000 war chest and hired the politically connected public relations firm of BerlinRosen to advise in what seems to be shaping up as a pivotal battle among several unions.
The Newspaper Guild, which claims to represent about 1,000 journalists and photographers at the flagship, and the smaller Mailers Union Local 6, with about 170 production members, both have been without a contract since March 31.
Back in October, six different locals — including the Guild and the Mailers — sent a letter to Arthur “Pinch” Sulzberger Jr., chairman and publisher of the Times, and then-President and CEO Janet Robinson.
The letter went out from Allied Printing Trades Council President Art Delanni but was signed by Guild President Bill O’Meara, and Pressman’s President John Heffernan, whose local contract still has another six years to run, and three other locals.
“Notwithstanding the improvement in the Times’ economic picture, you have given damaging proposals to the Guild representing your reporters and staff, who are at the core of the very product the Times offers to its customers,” said Delanni.
The letter also claims that current Times management is reneging on past lifetime job guarantees given to trade unions in exchange for previous concessions. “Promises made to long-term craft employees, who received lifetime job guarantees in return for substantial concessions, are now ignored,” wrote Delanni.
Anthony Napoli, the Guild representative for the Times, said that the past eight-year contract ended and talks have been sporadic.
“There have been no negotiations with the full [labor] committee, although we have had some meetings with subcommittees,” he said.
“They are trying to get givebacks, like everyone else,” said Napoli. On the issue of possible wage hikes, he said, “We’re nowhere close to getting to that stage.”
Robinson in October turned the matter over to Terry Hayes, the Times’ senior vice president of operations and labor.
Napoli said he expects that the sudden departure of Robinson will only slow down the bargaining process, which has already been very drawn out. “We don’t know what is going to happen. She’s not at the table, but clearly the CEO will be very involved in whatever happens,” he said.
The question of who will get to be the new CEO of the Times Co. became a little murkier this week with the news that the 16-title regional newspaper group, controlled by Sulzberger’s influential first cousin, Michael Golden, is being sold off.
With nothing on Golden’s plate, one inside rumor to catch fire is that he is being positioned for the CEO job.
Golden has been vice chairman of the Times Co. since 1997, the same year Sulzberger got the top job. Golden also sits on the board.
A Golden resurgence suggests greater family discord was behind Robinson’s exit last week.
“I believe it’s fair to speculate that the quick Robinson exit could suggest a bubbling family rift in terms of the direction of the company, the failure of the stock to respond to the success of the paywall launch and the lack of progress turning around About.com,” said Douglas Arthur, managing director at Evercore Partners.
“Whether it’s enough to boost Golden to CEO under Pinch or not, hard to say,” he said. “The sale of the regionals would seem to push the CEO slot more toward an outsider as it frees up monies for more digital acquisitions.”
One exec said of the CEO search, “There are two boxes that will have to get checked: The person will have digital chops and it has to be someone that the newsroom will respect — not necessarily like but at least someone that they will not roll their eyes at.”
Golden did not return a call seeking comment, and a spokesman for the Times declined to comment.
Good Graydon
There may be a reason why there has never been a book or movie entitled “The Devil Wears Paul Smith” about Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter.
Carter may have beeen spared the send-up inflicted on Vogue editrix Anna Wintour by a former employee, because he treats his assistants nicely. At least around Christmas.
On Monday, Carter took many of his past and present assistants to a holiday luncheon. Making the scene were John Brodie, executive editor for Grand Central Publishing’s Business Plus; Jon Kelly, who quit last year to join Bloomberg Businessweek but in August jumped to be a staff editor at the New York Times Sunday Magazine; Matt Trainor, editor-in-chief of Ralph Lauren digital media; Patricia Lansing, a creative consultant for Carolina Herrera; and Claire Howorth, arts editor at The Daily Beast.
Carter has also promoted quite a few of his assistants at VF, including Dana Brown, senior articles editor; Punch Hutton, deputy editor; Aimee Bell, deputy editor; and David Foxley, assistant editor.
That should be inspiration for his current assistant, Tony Rotunno, who was also on the scene.