Our Contract

1. Layoff

Employees named on the Job Security List will be protected from reductions in force as provided for in the 1993 Supplemental Agreement. If the Employer determines that a layoff shall be necessary, all other employees may be laid off in accordance with the following provisions:

A. There shall be no layoff except for good and sufficient cause. The size of the staff deemed necessary by the Employer shall constitute a good and sufficient cause. The Employer shall give the Union and affected employees at least thirty (30) days written notice of a layoff. The notices shall set forth the reasons for the layoff and the notice to the Union shall also contain the names of the employees scheduled to be reduced. The determination of what areas or departments and to what extent layoffs are to be carried out are the sole prerogatives of the Employer.

B. The Employer may offer a voluntary buyout, pursuant to past practice, before layoffs are implemented. If the employer offers a buyout, including but not limited to that provided for in Article VIII, Section 4, such buyout offer shall constitute lay-off notice to employees in the specified classifications as provided herein. Employees who are subject to lay off without individual notice as provided in Section A above shall receive no less than one week’s actual notice of their lay off and up to three (3) weeks’ pay in lieu of notice for a combined total of four weeks’ pay or actual notice.

C. Employees who are dismissed through a layoff shall be those within each job classification by department (as listed in Appendix A to this Section) with the least amount of seniority, which shall be determined by an employee’s total length of bargaining unit seniority, pursuant to Article III, Section 5. Employees with substantially demonstrable special skills or employees of outstanding ability may be excepted from the application of this section, but the burden of establishing the need for such exceptions shall be on the employer and shall be subject to grievance and arbitration.

In addition, for layoffs, which are not as a result of subcontracting, in positions other than those listed on the attached Exhibit A, employees with special skill or superior ability may also be excepted. The Employer’s determination shall be subject to Article XI, Grievance and Arbitration, but shall be accorded deference by the arbitrator, pursuant to the attached letter of interpretation. The Employer’s determination of skill or ability shall be based on job performance in the employee’s current or prior positions, competence and other job-related considerations. Union activity or salary level shall not be a factor in these determinations.

For the purpose of this provision, "length of service" shall include pro-rated service credit for part-time employment in the bargaining unit.

D. An employee laid off will be entitled to severance benefits of four weeks notice or pay in lieu of notice as provided in Section B above plus one additional week of pay for each six months of continuous service as a regular Globe employee up to a maximum of 50 weeks pay. All severance payments shall be made in the payroll week following layoff. If an employee dies after notification of layoff and election to be laid off (in lieu of bumping) but before he/she has received notice and severance pay, such payment shall be made to his/her estate.

E. An employee laid off out of seniority order pursuant to paragraph B above, shall receive an enhanced severance package, which shall include the following benefits in addition to those provided in Section C above: i) additional severance pay of 1 week for each year of continued and uninterrupted full time employment by the Globe, subject to a maximum of 50 weeks’ additional pay plus ii) continuation of health insurance through the parties’ Taft Hartley Fund (if currently in the Fund) with the Globe paying the entire cost of the premium based on the following eligibility: employees with less than five years service=6 months coverage; employees with at least 5 but less than 10 years of service = 8 months coverage; and full time employees with 10 or more years of service = 12 months coverage. Employees with prior part-time service will have their part time service included in the calculation of benefits. Employees who would have been laid off even in the absence of an out of seniority layoff within their job classification are not eligible for enhanced severance.

F. Employees who receive severance payments pursuant to this Article shall be required to sign a standard release of all claims against the Globe and the Union.

G. An employee dismissed through a layoff shall be placed on a rehiring list and shall remain on that list for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of dismissal. In filling vacancies within any job classifications from which employees were dismissed through a layoff, the Employer shall offer re-employment to employees on the rehiring list who were dismissed from the classification in which there is a vacancy before hiring or promoting employees. The Company shall notify such employees, based on bargaining unit seniority, by registered mail and the employee will be given ten (10) work days from the time he/she receives such notification in which to make his/her decision to accept or reject the offer of re-employment. Should he/she accept the job, he/she will be given an additional one (1) week in which to report for work. Failure to comply with this provision shall cause the employee’s name to be removed from the rehiring list. When an employee is reinstated into a job through the rehiring list he/she shall be paid at the current salary for the same step he/she left.

H. The Globe will meet with the Union during the thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Union of a planned layoff, if so requested by the Union, to voluntarily consider possible alternatives proposed by the Union to reduce labor costs other than through a layoff. The Globe may continue implementation of its planned layoff during these voluntary discussions. Lack of agreement on a voluntary alternative shall not be grievable.

I. An employee designated for layoff may elect to displace an employee with fewer totals bargaining unit seniority occupying any job classification he/she previously held on a full-time basis.
This election must be made within ten (10) workdays of layoff notification to the employee.
The employee displaced will be the employee with the least bargaining unit seniority in that classification.
Any employee who is displaced as a result of another employee's election to return to a previously held job shall have the same election rights as the employee who displaced him/her.
An employee who elects to return to a previously held job in a lower paid job classification shall be paid at the rate he/she would have earned had his/her employment in that classification been continuous. No merit increase shall be lost or reduced by any reduction in salary.
This provision shall apply in full to all employees employed by the Globe as of the date of ratification of this contract. This provision shall apply to employees hired after the date of ratification when they attain five (5) years of service.

J. The Globe agrees that during the recall period of a full-time employee on layoff:

1. if the Globe intends to have some of the actual work formerly done by a full time employee on lay off done on a part time, freelance or correspondent basis, it will first offer the laid off full time employee the opportunity to do the work on such a part-time, freelance or correspondent basis. Placements under this provision will not affect an employee’s position on the rehire list. An employee’s refusal of part time employment under this section will not affect an employee’s position on the rehire list. All part time work performed under this section shall be at the same rate of pay (including pay increases, if any) the employee received prior to the layoff.


2. the Globe will not use the full time equivalents of exempt employees whose major responsibility is to perform the actual work (as opposed to the type of work) performed by the employee on layoff; and

September 14, 2006