AP Photojournalists, Writers, Stage Byline Strike Protesting Contract Talks

 

NEW YORK, NY (December 16, 2008) – Writers and photographers at the Associated Press are staging a three-day byline strike and refusing to use personal equipment to perform their job duties to protest the company's proposals as the News Media Guild negotiates a new contract with the news agency.

The News Media Guild says that AP's proposals would threaten job security, raise medical costs, and freeze workers' wages. The guild represents 1,400 editorial, technology, and support staff at AP.

The contract has been in negotiations since late October, and the guild says that they and the company are not close to an agreement. Their contract with AP expired on November 30.

In current talks, AP wants a wage freeze for the first year of a two-year agreement followed by a 2 percent increase a year later. The guild had opened negotiations with a request for a 10 percent increase, while saying that they were "flexible" on that number.

The protest started Sunday, and some employees are also withholding use of their personal equipment such as cell phones and automobiles to make their point, the guild said.

AP is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by more than 1,500 U.S. daily newspapers. AP says that more than 4,000 people work for the news agency and that it has more than 240 bureaus around the world.

 

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