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 Feb. 18, 2009
Guild wins “spouse fee” case;arbitrator orders refunds
Sun management violated the Guildcontract when it imposed a $75-a-month“spouse fee” on top of health premiums,Arbitrator Ira F. Jaffe ruled this month.Tribune charged the fee if spouses of employees were included in Tribunehealth coverage and if the spouse hadother coverage available from his or her job.The Guild argued – and the arbitratoragreed – that the fee violated contractprovisions limiting increases inemployee share of premium. The Sunhad maintained that the “fees” were notpremiums, but were similar to co-payments or deductibles, which it hasthe right to change.Jaffe ordered The Sun to stop collectingany fees in excess of the four-percentage-point limit on premiumincreases, and to refund the excesscharges to Guild-represented employeeswho have been paying them. Employeeswho paid the fees stand to receiverefunds of several hundred dollars each.Also, Jaffe directed The Sun to conducta special open enrollment period foremployees who dropped coveragebecause of the fee or who were hiredsince the fee was imposed and mighthave chosen a different plan.This is the second time recently thatTribune has attempted to impose healthcharges beyond those allowed bycontract, and the second time the Guildhas won an arbitration orderingmanagement to stop the impropercharges and refund money. In the earliercase, an arbitrator ruled a year ago thatmanagement was overcharging fordental and vision coverage, resulting inrefunds and in premium reductions of upto $18.22 a month for some 200 Guildmembers.
In pursuit of a plan that worksfor all
A new compensation plan for mostcommission sales representatives wentinto effect Feb. 2 --- that, on average,cuts sales reps' earnings by 40 percent.Under the new plan, the commissionsales reps --- those folks whose work keeps revenue flowing into The Sun ---will be paid 1 percent to 5 percent of thead dollars they produce (the percentdepends on how well their book of business did last year). On top of that, arep is eligible to receive $250 more amonth in each of four goal categoriesplus another $250 if they make goal inall four of those categories per month. If a rep were to make every goal everymonth, he or she would be adding$15,000 to annual compensation.The sales reps quickly did the math andrealized they were looking at a 40percent pay cut compared with the oldplan. Guild leaders along with the repsmet with Labor Director Ann Barnes andSales Vice President Linda Hastings tovoice concerns of the employees.Hastings agreed to meet with acommittee of sales representatives whocould make suggestions about the plan,as well as review whether it is workingfor the reps as they go forward.
Four Stars For Your AttitudeAdjustment
Since Sam Zell purchased Tribune in adeal most adults thought was wackyfrom the start, your colleagues inBaltimore and across the country havebeen bought out and laid off by thethousands, your work changes virtuallyevery week, and your eyes have glazedover with corporate doublespeak.The great company you work for is nowin bankruptcy protection, trying to shakeoff the hangover from a
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