Posted on 03/21/2005 12:33:54 PM PST by SierraWasp
U.S. Reuters employees in byline strike
By David B. Wilkerson, MarketWatch Last Update: 3:18 PM ET March 21, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - U.S.-based journalists at Reuters Group PLC are staging their second byline strike in the last three months to protest the offshoring of jobs to India, demands for economic concessions and hefty raises for several top Reuters executives in 2004.
More than 350 Reuters America journalists will withhold bylines and credits from their work through Thursday evening, and have pledged to do no more than exactly what is required to accomplish their jobs, the Newspaper Guild of New York said Monday.
Last year, Reuters (RTRSY: news, chart, profile) (UK:RTR: news, chart, profile) began replacing some of its U.S. journalists with reporters in Bangalore, India. The union objects, saying that of the 1,200 to 1,500 employees Reuters plans to install at its Bangalore center, at least 50 of them will be editorial.
The union is currently negotiating a new contract with Reuters, having gone more than two years without one. It says the company is "demanding that Guild-represented employees accept meager raises, higher health care costs and lower retirement benefits that would leave them with a net loss in total compensation."
Reuters workers in the U.S. voted overwhelmingly last month to authorize a possible walkout.
A Reuters spokesman said the company remains committed to working out a fair contract with its employees, and is "confident" that an agreement will be reached.
The union noted that Chief Executive Tom Glocer has received raises in each of the last three years, as revenues have fallen. In 2004, his total compensation was 5.53 million GBP, or $10.5 million, and that other senior executives also enjoyed raises.
Reuters' revenue was 3.59 billion GBP ($6.82 billion) in 2002; 3.235 billion GBP ($6.14 billion) in 2003, and 2.885 billion GBP ($5.47 billion) in 2004.
"Our members are asking why they should give Reuters one iota of their talent and effort more than required when they're being asked to accept less and their bosses are cleaning up," said New York Guild President Barry Lipton, in a statement.
Reuters has also embarked on a cost-cutting initiative that will include 3,000 job cuts, as well as "lower benefits for many surviving non-union employees," the union said.
U.S.-listed shares of Reuters were down 63 cents at $45.86 in afternoon dealings.
Wouldn't have been a peep if they had offshored to Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Libya, Iran....
Heh-heh, cannibalism at its best!
Was that a rhetorical question?
"U.S.-based journalists at Reuters Group PLC are staging their second byline strike in the last three months to protest the offshoring of jobs to India, ..."
they would have a more convincing story if the byline was by, say, "Vishnu Patel"
Yep! Them Yoooooyun Dudes are pretty "long in the tooth," as is almost all of the MSM!!!
Wow even blatant bias and anti American spew can be produced cheaper over seas.
That's got to be the most pathetic labor-related threat I have ever heard.
Still costs $75 per pair!!!
Can they stage a strike in which they withhold their bias for a week or two?
Great reply!!! I haven't seen ya round much of late. Good to see ya typin stuff that's wildly phunny once again!!!
Sounds like it's comin from somma them "Silly Savages!"
Yeah, they would be much more effective if they threatened to give the news a conservative bias for a week. That would get the strike settled fast!
Why shouldn't Reuters outsource? Journalists have no special skills.
But I will agree with them that if their company is continually losing money that they shouldn't be raising the bosses salary. He is captaining a sinking ship and should be compensated appropriately.
But how much unique talent can it take to be a wire service anyways. They regurgitate stuff faster than anybody else but they appear to have no other identifying traits.
My gudness... my gudness... what twill we do without the nooze to snooze by???
I say ol chop... would you like a spot to tay? Cheerio!!!
You and I could do their bylines during our breaks from Free Republic.
I gotta say this whilst I'ma thinkin it, er I'll fegit it and I know it don't belong on this thread... Wait! I'll FReepmail it to ya!!!
What difference does off-shoring make in this case? The execs can tell the Indians what to write just as well as their own puppets.
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