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News / With Audio Coverage Press-Telegram Reporters, Photogs, Alums Rally Urging New Union Contract, Supported By Councilwoman Reyes Uranga & Vice Mayor Lowenthal; Mayor Foster Observes, Offers Comments To Reporters
 (March 24, 2008) -- Press-Telegram newsroom workers -- reporters and photogs instantly recognizable by their bylines and photo credits -- were joined by PT alumni at a noon-hour rally Monday (Mar. 24) outside the Ocean Blvd. high rise where the PT rents space, urging company management (in the words of a Communications Workers of America flier) to "Negotiate a fair contract with your workers! Stop outsourcing newsroom work! Stop union-busting!"
The rally drew about fifty people...including Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal and Councilwowan Tonia Reyes Uranga, both of whom marched with the workers, carried signs and spoke at the event.
Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal.
Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga.
LBReport.com posts on-scene audio of the LB lawmakers' remarks in full below.
Also present at the event was Mayor Bob Foster...who kept a relatively low profile. The Mayor didn't march or carry a sign but did make himself available to reporters for comments/Q & A (which we report below).
Among those marching and carrying signs were former PT reporters Natalie Shore (the Cunningham Report) and Keith Higginbotham (American Shipper), along with retired PT photographer Leo Hetzel.
Another PT alum, The District Weekly Senior Editor Dave Wielenga was on-scene covering the story.
Also present to report the story: Press-Telegram reporter Paul Eakins.
On March 4, Councilwoman Reyes Uranga agendized a Council item (passed 8-0, Suja Lowenthal absent) requesting a city management report on City Hall's relationship with the PT regarding public notices, meeting announcements and other public communications.
The action came in the wake of corporate-ordered changes that leave LB reporters and editors answerable to a publisher shared with the co-owned southbay Daily Breeze), a non-union shop at which a number of PT production personnel now reportedly perform PT and Daily Breeze tasks.
During Council discussion of the item, Vice Mayor Lowenthal added that she also favors convening a CSULB conference to discuss the state of local journalism.
Vice Mayor Lowenthal and Councilwoman Reyes Uranga are battling in June Dem Party primary for the opportunity to succeed incumbent Assemblywoman Betty Karnette (D., LB) (to be ultimately decided in a November multi-party election in the Dem drawn district).
To hear their rally remarks, click below to launch audio (provided below in real-time rally order):
Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga
Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal
 Mayor Foster was present early in the proceedings, observing from the sidelines. He provided comments and Q & A when asked (in photo, PT reporter Paul Eakins):
Mayor Foster: Look, first of all it's 14 months without a contract. [When] you have a collective bargaining agreement, you're supposed to bargain in good faith at the table. I'm hoping that's going on. But you've got to have a contract, and to go that long without one, I can understand the anxiety and I can understand the anger. It's time to sit down at the table and hammer out an agreement. You don't do this to employees.
Q: What do you think the cuts at the PT are doing to coverage of Long Beach in general?
Mayor Foster: I really don't have an opinion on that yet, Paul. I really don't know. I think only time will tell. They say they're going to maintain coverage in Long Beach and they're going to keep, we're going to have to focus here on what they do. That would mean a lot of us. It's important.
A Communications Workers of America flier promoting the event stated, "The company's egregious proposals of zero-substandard wage increases, a wage freeze anytime during the term of a new contract and its demand for the right to outsource any and all jobs — are not good for the workers, not good for the paper and not good for the community."
As of 5:30 p.m., an email from LBReport.com seeking comment on today's event from Press-Telegram Executive Editor Rich Archbold had not received a response. [If we receive a response, we'll add it here.]
In previous public comments, Mr. Archbold and the PT in an unsigned editorial have said the paper remains a Long Beach news outlet and isn't going anywhere.
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