Wage, (eliminate all) holiday cuts coming for Globe's union drivers

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/11/27/wage_holiday_cuts_coming_for_globes_union_drivers/

November 27, 2008

The Boston Globe said yesterday that it reached a two-year agreement with the newspaper's nearly 200 union drivers to cut wages 5 percent and eliminate all 10 of their paid holidays, starting in 2009. Globe senior vice president Greg Thornton said the cuts agreed to by the Teamsters Local 259 are "necessary cost reductions to offset declines in revenue due to media restructuring and the slowing economy." The Teamsters' treasurer, Ralph Giallanella, said the agreement "was a difficult one" but "it promises the best possible outcome over the next two years for union members, including the preservation of driver jobs, and the paper." The drivers distribute the Globe and The New York Times to stores and warehouses throughout the region. The New York Times Co. owns the Globe. (Beth Healy)

[sandnsea]

1. Eliminating holidays?

That is scary. I think I mentioned it before, but I never realized that every time a contract comes up for negotiation, management takes everything off the table, including paid holidays. Maybe now that a union has actually given up holidays, people will pay attention to what's at stake. The race to the bottom continues.

[Lifetimedem]

2. This is just the beginning

There are so many that felt insulated from the rape of Manufacturing in this country..

Suddenly everyone is vulnerable .

Does anyone think the exodus of millions of middle class jobs has not fed into or caused the banking and wall street crisis?

Unemployed and underemployed people can not pay mortgages, credit cards, buy stock or shop at the usual middle class stores.

How foolish the free traders are, they thought that the only consequence would be cheaper goods.. they never realized that they would be standing in unemployment lines too

[Sherman A1]

3. One wonders, will management be working those days as well?

Will management take a 5% wage decrease? Will management eliminate bonuses? Will management contribute in any way other than to screw the workforce through greed driven bad decisions?