May, 2009

Dear Members,

     We know that members of organized labor are very active in our communities. Members donate both money and time to make our communities better places to live.  What we don’t know is how much and where people are active.  Effective immediately, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council would like to begin documenting the donations and volunteer hours performed by labor.

     The Local has been requested to communicate to you about the gathering of this information.  Anytime a member of organized labor donates money and or time to any non-profit group, be it secular or religious (excluding tithes), the Labor Council would like to keep track of your donation.  The Council has generated a form that individuals can fill out and fax or send to the office.  I have placed an electronic copy of the form on our web-site which may be mailed or emailed either directly to Local 715 at info@ibew715.com.  If you prefer you can fax them directly to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, 414-771-0509; attention Jay Reinke or by email to jayaflcio@sbcglobal.net.  They will gather the information and send specifics to local unions upon request.  If you have any specific questions please call Jay at 414-771-9828.

     It is planned that every three months, a report will be generated and presented at a monthly delegate meeting.  Articles will also appear in the Labor Press not only listing the tally of donations, but at times, highlighting local unions or individuals for their work in the community.  Information will also be used to nominate locals and individuals for labor community awards, as well as informing local media about our contributions.

     Why is there a need to do this?  It was very clear during discussions about the Employee Free Choice Act that many people do not know the value that labor adds to our community.  This is one way we can promote ourselves and the work we do in improving our communities, and the lives of our neighbors.

     The Milwaukee Area Labor Council and I thank you for your help and support.

Christopher J Albrecht

President, Business Manager & Financial Secretary

/opeiu #9 afl-cio-clc

            The Milwaukee office of the National Labor Relations Board has found evidence that Journal Broadcasting Group’s WTMJ-TV violated federal labor law.  Because of WTMJ’s ongoing illegal activity. 

             View our YouTube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1RmFDqnBrM

            Local 715 is trying to negotiate a contract covering the station’s broadcast engineers. Before 2008, the IBEW had successfully negotiated contract agreements with WTMJ Radio then with WTMJ-TV for more than 70 years. The Journal Corporation has thrown roadblocks in the path of those negotiations but Local 715 has argued that those obstacles put in the path of negotiations were illegal under federal labor law.

             On May 23, 2008, in a union-busting tactic unprecedented in the experience of IBEW Local 715, Journal Communications—faced with continued solidarity of its employees behind their Union’s efforts to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement—decided to unlawfully suspend bargaining and instead to announce what it termed the “merger” of IBEW Local 715 with employees of a different Union.  The goals of Journal Communications in forcing this “merger” among two entirely different unions are to divide its workforce, to unlawfully implement its proposals to reduce the workforce, and to eliminate seniority. 

            IBEW Local 715 continues now in its attempt to negotiate a successor collective bargaining agreement on behalf of the Union’s Engineering bargaining unit, which includes approximately 40 broadcast engineers who are currently employed at Journal Broadcast Group’s WTMJ-TV, WTMJ-DT, WTMJ-AM and WLWK-FM stations.  Prior to 2008, the IBEW has successfully negotiated contract agreements with WTMJ Radio then with WTMJ-TV for more than 70 years.  Christopher Albrecht, Business Manager of Local 715, indicated, “We knew that the Company’s tactics were underhanded and dishonest.  Instead of trying to accomplish its goals legally, at the bargaining table, the Company had unilaterally implemented a merger of two distinct bargaining units.  Its goals of driving down wages and the solidarity of its employees were very transparent.  The Union and its membership, and now the Regional office of the NLRB, have rejected this stunt by Journal Communications.  Our goal is simply to get our employer to abide by the law,” he said. “Ultimately, we continue to seek to reach a contract that both parties can live with.”    

Local 715 hopes the workers of Southeastern Wisconsin will join with WTMJ-TV workers to oppose the Journal Corporation’s illegal activity.  The WTMJ Solildarity Committee is maintaining a web presence regularly updated with what is going on www.whytrusttmj4.com. Community leaders and workers are standing firm against corporate greed because workers know that union jobs are good, middle-class jobs that support workers and their families.  Workers are standing firm to protect their jobs and hard-earned benefits in the face of the Journal Corporation’s willingness to sacrifice the quality of the product to achieve its “business objectives” of enriching a few high level managers who do not care for the community only their pocketbooks.

 Workers at the Journal Corporation should not tolerate the Company’s bad faith bargaining and unfair labor practices.  Local 715 will not sit by and let the Journal Corporation destroy seven decades of progress and destroy the lives of working families to fund its corporate greed.

            More information and copies of the Settlement Agreement between the Milwaukee office of the National Labor Relations Board and Journal Broadcasting are available from IBEW Local 715, AFL-CIO, 633 S. Hawley Rd., Suite 107, Milwaukee, WI 53214-1948, or at www.whytrusttmj4.com. View our YouTube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1RmFDqnBrM

May 14, 2009

Full-time dues formula is: 7.5 x hourly rate + $42.00.

Freelance dues are: $38.00 monthly; $114.00 quarterly.

Membership retention: $14.50 monthly; $43.50 quarterly (no work permitted)

Part-time members,  you have been already billed based on your first-quarter earnings reports received from your employer.

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WIN updates its site every day.  Give it a try today: www.laborradio.org

IBEW Local 715 makes information available on this website as a service to our members and other friends for informational purposes only. This website is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice, nor should you consider it as such. You should not act (or refrain from acting) based upon information on this site without obtaining professional advice regarding your particular facts and circumstances. The informational on this site is not guaranteed or promised to be current. This site contains links to other sites. IBEW Local 715 makes no guarantees or promises regarding these sites.