(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Daily Kos is following the agreement it signed with the Guild [1]

['Daily Kos Staff', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2023-02-23  

When they announced their organizing, this is what the Guild said:

“We recognize that Daily Kos currently provides a generous package of employee benefits and perks. Our primary motivation is less concerned with supplementing what is offered here. Regardless, we believe that a union will go a long way toward safeguarding the benefits that the current management has provided for all those who follow us in what we anticipate to be the long life of the company.”

It wasn’t surprising they lauded our generosity—the average Guild salary is $95,000, and the entire combined package of paid time off, holidays, sick days, traumatic grief leave, and multiple other kinds of personal leave is two-and-a-half months or more annually (not a typo). We’ve always done our best to meet the needs of our employees. There’s a reason our turnover is as low as it is, and why people are fighting so hard to keep these jobs. I get that. But as I noted a few weeks ago, one of our major revenue lines was disrupted and we can no longer afford to carry over 90 employees, thus we’re facing a 20% reduction. Everyone is dismayed. It’s brutal, depressing math.

Two weeks ago, we came to an agreement with the Guild on how to handle our downsizing (full text below). It was voted on and approved by its members. We have followed, and will continue to follow, the exact letter of the agreement. As you can see below, it is as fair and generous as we’ve always been with our staff.

In consideration of the promises, commitments, and agreements below, it is hereby AGREED by and between Kos Media, LLC (“Employer”) and the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521, and the Daily Kos Guild (“Guild”) that this Side Letter shall be effective on February 10, 2023. The purpose of this Side Letter is to memorialize certain agreements between the Employer and the Guild. On January 12, 2023, the Employer notified the Guild that it needed to reduce the workforce through involuntary layoffs. With the Guild in status quo while negotiating a complete first collective bargaining agreement, the Guild demanded to negotiate over the decision to conduct layoffs and the effects of that decision. Through those negotiations, the Guild and Employer agreed to a voluntary buyout package with hopes of averting layoffs. In accordance with the agreement between the parties, the voluntary buyouts will be offered to all members of the Guild bargaining unit, and those in disputed positions, based on the following terms: (a) The Company shall have the discretion to accept those who volunteer for buyouts; however, the Company agrees to give each volunteer good faith consideration. The Company shall supply to the Guild its reasoning for rejecting an employee’s buyout request. (i) For each employee whose request for a buyout is accepted, the total of necessary cost savings will be reduced accordingly. (ii) If the necessary cost savings are not reached through buyouts, the Guild and Employer will re-enter negotiations to determine how to reach the rest of the goal. If after one week the parties have not agreed to a method for reaching the rest of the goal, the Company may conduct layoffs, on the same severance terms as the buyout package listed below, to reach the remaining cost savings needed. (iii) Once the necessary cost savings are reached, there shall be no layoffs conducted to the bargaining unit for a period of three months. (b) Employees whose voluntary buyout request is accepted shall receive the following buyout package: (i) A base severance of 12 weeks' pay, plus an additional 1 week's pay for each year of service with the company. (1) Years of service shall be calculated on a prorated basis with credit for partial years with the company. (ii) Reimbursement of health care benefit costs extended through COBRA for a period of three months. (iii) Their accrued vacation in a lump sum as part of their final paycheck. (iv) One month of outplacement services in support of job transition, re-placement support, and work-life coaching. (v) The option to keep their Apple laptop computers and peripherals. (c) The Company agrees to classify employees’ termination so that they will be able to collect unemployment benefits. The Company shall not object to or dispute any unemployment claims made by employees. (d) Once the buyout program is implemented, employees will have one week to request a buyout. The Company will then have two weeks to determine which requests shall be accepted. (e) Once an employee’s buyout request is accepted, employment will be terminated by the Company within 3 business days.

As I wrote back in January, we are now "over $3 million in the hole—a catastrophic 20% drop in revenue.” That has always been the number we needed to hit. The Guild wants to confuse the situation by throwing out a bunch of numbers, but rather than respond bullet point by bullet point, just look at the agreement above again. That has never been part of the agreement.

The agreement is clear. We all agreed to it. We’re following it to the letter.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/23/2154683/-Daily-Kos-is-following-the-agreement-it-signed-with-the-Guild

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/