Seattle Press on Line - Week Three on the Newspaper Picket Line

Week Three on the Newspaper Picket Line

By Unknown Writer #3

Striking Times copy editor David Birdwell on the line.

Dec 13, 2000 -- As the Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer strike enters week three, talks continue. Meanwhile, those on the picket line remain hopeful.

Strikers contend that their wages haven't kept pace with the cost of living. Karl Niece, a striking copy editor and Greenwood resident, notes that living in Seattle has gotten expensive. "We're falling behind economically," he said.

Niece said he has been selling Christmas trees, hoping to earn a tree for his family, while his wife has been looking for part-time work. During the strike his neighbors have supported his family by bringing them food.

The two newspapers' contracts with the 1,000 workers of the Newspaper Guild expired this summer. The Newspaper Guild is one of 17 unions that have contracts with the Times. After a five-month effort by workers to reach a new contract agreement, the newspapers put forward what strikers say was basically the same contract.

Part of the proposal made to the Guild included: wage increases of $3.30/hour over six years--an average of 55 cents per year--and a six-year contract without a 401(k) match or any improvement of the Times' sick policy. The Newspaper Guild is asking for higher wage increases, a possible 401(k) match and a standard sick policy.

Strikers say they are asking for a salary increase that will allow workers to keep pace with the cost of living. The Guild reports that the cost of living has gone up 44 percent in Seattle/King County since 1990, while the paper's minimum pay scales have only risen 21 percent.

While on strike, the workers make $200 per week for 20 hours of picketing and working on the Seattle Union Record, a newspaper they created. If the workers strike for more than 29 days, they will make $300 per week for 20 hours of work, but they will lose their medical insurance.

"We all like our jobs and we really don't want to be out here," said striker David Birdwell, a copy editor for the Times news section. "Sometimes you just have to do what's right."

Birdwell has worked at the Times for 15 months. He said he will stay on the picket line for as long as it takes.

"The longer we do this, the more we're sure we're right," said striker Des Toupes, a copy editor for the business section.

"There's been a lot of support," said striker Pete Metzelfeld, who has worked in advertising for both the P-I and The Seattle Times. "It makes it really easy to come out here every day." He said businesses near the Times building have been generous in donating food to the strikers.

"We're pretty much standing for the same things," said Metzelfeld, about the newspaper workers. "We have yet to see a decent contract offer."

The Times and P-I will continue to be available for free through December 17, as a result of the strike. After that time, "it will be interesting to see if people buy the product or not," said Birdwell.

To hear updates about the strike, call the strike hotline at 781-2152. To find out more about The Union Record, call 323-0738.

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