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1. Outside Activities

Any employee shall be free to engage in any paid or unpaid activities outside of working hours that:

a) neither detract from nor interfere with the employee’s Globe duties; nor

b) impair the credibility or integrity of the Globe; nor

c) are detrimental to the Globe’s competitive position.

Any employee contemplating an outside activity must inform the Publisher or his/her designee in writing in advance. The Publisher or his/her designee reserves the right to object to an activity based on the three standards listed above, but will not exercise this right in an unreasonable manner. Objections, if any, will be made promptly. If the Employer objects to an activity, the employee and a Union representative may meet with the Publisher or his/her designee to resolve the matter. If the issue remains unresolved, the Union may submit a grievance to expedited arbitration as provided in Article XI
(Grievance and Arbitration).

2. Dangerous Conditions

No bargaining unit employee covered by the terms of this agreement shall be required to perform work under conditions which clearly represent a threat to his/her life or safety, including, but not limited to riots and civil disorders. Bargaining unit employee must notify their appropriate supervisor as soon as practical when, in the employee’s judgment, such conditions exist. Any bargaining unit employee who exercises his/her rights under this provision shall not be discriminated against or penalized in any way, and provided, further, any bargaining unit employee who elects to perform his/her duties in dangerous conditions, notwithstanding this provision, shall be fully protected and insured under all related Employer travel and accident plans, and it shall not be construed as a waiver of any legal rights or benefits. In addition, the employee will be protected against any personal loss resulting from such dangerous conditions as long as he/she has complied with the stated company policy attached to this agreement concerning such matters.

No bargaining unit employee will be required to travel by air on private unscheduled aircraft when an employee has a personal negative attitude to that type of flying.

3. Legal Assistance

When a request is made by a federal, state, county or municipal court, grand jury, agency, department, commission or legislative body for the production or disclosure of confidential information of confidential news sources utilized by any reporter, photographer, editor, writer, correspondent or any other person employed by, and directly engaged in the gathering of news for the Employer, and when such employee has notified the Employer of such request the Employer will arrange for immediate legal representation at its expense for the employee. The choice of representation shall be mutually agreed upon by the Employer and the employee.

An employee so represented shall not suffer any loss of pay or other benefits and shall further be made whole to the extent permitted by law against any fines or damages levied by any final judgment or decision in the action.

4. Use of Employee’s Name

A bargaining unit employee whose name is used in a letter to the editor, ombudsman article, paid political ad or any story relating to the employee’s Globe duties in which his/her name is used by another writer appearing in the Globe, will be notified in advance of publication. Any bargaining unit employee whose by-line is used on a story whose content has been substantially altered will also be notified in advance of publication and will have the option of deleting his/her by-line, upon specific request.

5. Transfer to Another City/Country

No employee shall be transferred to regular full-time employment in another city outside the Boston metropolitan area (thirty [30] mile radius of State House) from the employer’s Boston location only without his/her consent. In the event of such transfer, the employee shall be reimbursed for legitimate transportation and moving expenses for himself/herself and family. Employees may be transferred to Boston without his/her consent. The employer will confer with an employee prior to making such change. In the event of such transfer, the employee shall be reimbursed for legitimate transportation and moving expenses for himself/herself and family.

In addition, it is the intent of this agreement to provide employees transferred to another city, including locations outside of the United States, with supplementary payments or to make other arrangements in order to adjust his/her salary and/or benefits to reflect circumstances different from those in effect in Boston, including difference in the cost of living. Such payments or other arrangements are intended to insure that the employee is made whole by
maintaining the employee’s effective total compensation comparable to that in Boston.

A copy of the company policy relating to the above is available in the personnel department. Benefits itemized in the company policy at the time of the employee’s assignment abroad will not be reduced during his/her term abroad. The Union will be advised of any revision in the company policy.

6. Personnel Files/Access

The personnel director will maintain confidential personnel files for bargaining unit employees which will include, where applicable, written employee evaluations, written warnings, employment application, resume, written recommendations and any other material pertinent to the employee’s work performance. This will be the only official personnel file maintained and only the employee and his/her department head will have access to it. The contents of his/her file will be made available to each employee within a reasonable period of time upon request. The employee may submit for inclusion in his/her file any response or comment to documents included therein at any time.

7. Employee Performance Evaluation

Every employee covered by this contract will be reviewed on or about the anniversary date of his/her employment by his/her department head or supervisor relative to work performance, and will be informed in writing, with signature and copy provided to employee, and the Union president, by his/her department head or supervisor in a personal interview of his/her current status.

The employer and the Union will agree to a basic performance evaluation review format covering all employees; however, a joint Globe-BNG committee will develop proposed individual departmental formats. Each department will have one representative each (Company and Union) to the Joint Committee. After 60 days if the Committee cannot agree on the individual format, the Globe may then implement the proposed format. The BNG retains the right to grieve any such new evaluation format based on whether the criteria used are fair and reasonable. The Article XI, Section 2(D) sixty (60) day filing period for grievances will be extended to allow the Union to timely file a grievance relative to the implementation of a new evaluation format provided the grievance is filed within six (6) months of the implementation.

8. One Year Internship Evaluation

The Employer and the Union agree that a one-year internship program will be maintained. Written evaluations will be prepared and discussed on a regular basis with each intern, (30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 10 months) during his/her term as an intern. Copies of such written evaluations will be provided to the employee and the Union and included in the intern’s personnel file.

9. Reporter/Photographer

No reporter shall be allowed to act as a photographer and no photographer shall be allowed to act as a reporter except in cases of extraordinary circumstances or foreign assignments. In such cases additional compensation will be paid for services rendered by the bargaining unit employee which are outside of his/her normal work.

10.Photography Work

All photography work must be routed through the director of photography or his/her assistants and in all cases, when possible, he/she will assign the work to Globe photographers.

11. Free Lance Photography

Free lance photography shall be used with discretion.

12. Free Lance Work for the Globe

Articles, book reviews, travel pieces, food pieces, photographs and art work, prepared without assignment on the bargaining unit employee’s own initiative and off-duty time may be purchased at rates mutually agreeable to the editor and the bargaining unit employee. Any member of the Union is free to submit travel pieces and photos which may be purchased together or separately at mutually agreed rates by the travel section.

13.Stock Purchase Plan

If an employee stock purchase plan is offered, the Employer agrees that payment may made by payroll deduction.

14. Bonding

The Employer will provide appropriate bonding for any bargaining unit employee required to handle money.

15. Sales Commission Plans

The advertising director will maintain commission/incentive plans for all the advertising departments for the life of this agreement.

If advertising is sold by Globe employees in combination with the Globe and another medium, the employee shall receive in addition to his/her salary, a mutually agreeable commission on the proceeds of the outside sale.

The circulation director shall maintain commission/ incentive plans for the sales staff for the life of this agreement.

Bargaining unit employees covered by commission/incentive plans will be notified one week in advance of a new category of commissions and two weeks before a commission plan is eliminated.

16. Editorial/Flexible Assignments

Bargaining unit employees classified as either “Layout/Make-up/Slot��? or “Copy Editor��? may be transferred from their customary desk assignment to another desk either during a shift or for an entire shift, as determined by the employer to meet its needs. In cases of such transfer, employees will only be assigned to work consistent with their respective classifications. Such transfers, where possible, will be done by volunteers first and then by inverse bargaining unit seniority, subject to the needs of the newspaper for special knowledge or expertise for employees classified as Layout/Makeup/Slot only, as determined by the editor or his representative. The employer will exercise its discretion in a reasonable manner. No employee shall have his/her shift or days off changed as a result of such transfers.

January 11, 2001