Philadelphia Daily Newspapers Agree To Contract Extension, But Strike Could Still Be Coming
By Dan Wing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia says they have agreed to an extension of their current contract with Philly.com and the city's two biggest newspapers as negotiations on a new contract continue.
In a post on Local-10.com's website, the Guild says Friday's negotiations led nowhere, but that an extension of the current contract will run through June 27th. The Guild also says that a strike authorization vote will be held the week of June 1st, and that the two sides will meet again next Friday.
The Guild says the biggest holdups in getting a new deal involve seniority issues, salary increases, and raises in health care costs for members for what the Guild calls "less coverage."
A spokeswoman for Philadelphia Media Network, which owns the papers and the website, said Thursday that negotiators will continue to work with the mediator and Guild to try and resolve those issues and get a new deal done.