The United Media Guild’s collective bargaining agreement with the Peoria Journal Star has extended for another year, until March 31, 2018.
Article XVIII of the CBA (as extended through March 31, 2017) includes a rollover clause that extends the full CBA year by year, in the absence of timely written notice of an intention to change or terminate the CBA. The definition of timely notice is spelled out:
“Such written notice shall be presented to the other party not less than sixty (60) days prior to March 31, 2014, or any following March 31.”
The UMG decided not to request to bargain a new contract in Peoria, given the protections in place in the current CBA and the concessions GateHouse Media is demanding at other Guild-represented newspapers.
And when the company missed the notification deadline by one day, we informed the company that the contract had already rolled over.
GateHouse has maintained a strict “no raises” position in negotiations with the UMG for first contracts at the State Journal-Register in Springfield and the Rockford Register Star. The company has made no effort to negotiate fair deals at either newspaper and it imposed working conditions at the SJ-R after declaring an impasse.
Given that draconian stance, the UMG saw nothing to be gained by negotiating in Peoria. The Journal Star has protected its copy desk from outsourcing and maintained pay scales that are superior to similar GateHouse newspapers.