1. Fairness in wages and benefits.
2. Excellence in journalism and business practices.
3. Unity among employees.
Here are some of the issues important to Pantagraph employees as we organize a union:
Pay, benefits and commissions
Most of us are getting wage increases below the cost of living, if we’re getting any increase at all. Some of our wages have been frozen as we’ve maxed out what Lee Enterprises thinks it should pay people. Some of us have seen drastic sales commission changes. Pantagraph Publisher Linda Lindus claims “No one has had pay reduced.” This no doubt would come as a shock to sales representatives who saw their commissions and paychecks shrink.
We assume “pay” doesn’t mean “paycheck” to her, so she feels comfortable parsing words so as to mislead people. Now, coincidentally right after the union began its campaign, she’s promising pay increases for the future. Let’s hope she means it.
Staffing
To be fair, under Ms. Lindus, there have been some improvements. TC Style magazine is a beautiful work and our Internet site has improved many times over. Just know that it came at a cost: Staff was mostly shifted, not added.
We have fewer copy editors to improve writing, catch mistakes and spend time on design. Also, two managers have left and were not replaced. The result is already burdened newsroom managers are further overwhelmed. Photographers are expected to add video and Internet photo galleries to their duties with no staff increase. The continuing mantra of more with less under Lee Enterprises and, before that, Pulitzer Inc., has put the Pantagraph on a steady decline in quality.
Story Quotas
Ms. Lindus ushered in a “Points” system. This is a quota of stories and sidebars required of writers. It rewards quantity without regard to quality. The effect is, it encourages shallow journalism and discourages in-depth, insightful pieces that our readers want.
Good news! It was announced on Thursday 7/12/07 that the story quota system would no longer be used.
Respect
Numerous employees tell us they feel as though the ownership company, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, and publisher Lindus specifically don’t respect them. Nighttime employees have told us they feel as though Mrs. Lindus doesn’t even acknowledge their existence. She and other managers have recently undergone an effort to add charm and show they care. But, Lee and Ms. Lindus have already proven that what they really care about is the money.
Civic Involvement
Some of our civic leaders are concerned that the Pantagraph is becoming less interested in promoting civic causes and less generous in supporting. They say Lee Enterprises under Ms. Lindus is less giving and caring than our previous owner and publisher, Pulitzer and Henry Bird.