The five years he spent in Philly (he lived in Society Hill) were among his happiest. He was hired to report for the 6 p.m. news, but management sensed star quality and also had him co-anchor the noon news with local star Marciarose Shestack, known professionally by her first name alone. They became the nation’s first “Eyewitness News” team. They had more chemistry than DuPont. And MR, as friends call her, became a forever friend. MR hadn’t been in touch with Tom Terrific for several months, but told me his spirits seemed good then, as he battled leukemia. We talked […]
Search Results for: sgt byko
STOP THE PRESSES: Uncle Sgt. Byko Says Grace
“As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, we imagine the new owners of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com sitting down in their more-than-comfortable homes for an elaborate meal with their families. They have a lot for which to be thankful. They have great wealth. They are smart, they have worked hard, and they have earned it. They enjoy secure jobs, they enjoy secure income, they enjoy secure retirement plans, they enjoy the peace of mind of knowing their families will never do without. Why would they deny some of the same peace of mind to their employees, who also […]
SGT. BYKO, INKY/DN Labor Mouthpiece, Responds To New Papers-Of-Record Owner’s Alleged Plans To Import Scab Labor Over The Internet; No Word Yet On Rumored Plans To Replace Newsroom With Cheap Migrant Labor Or Just The Standard 50 Monkeys With 50 Typewriters
VIA BYKO: If They Did It: Here’s How Philadelphia Media Holdings Would Hire Scabs Nov. 21, 2006 Contact: Stu Bykofsky Philadelphia Media Holdings, the company that cries poverty while demanding devastating cuts from Guild members, seems to be gearing up to spend a fortune on scabs to produce our papers and drive our trucks. The Philadelphia Weekly reported today that an ad seeking “replacement workers” (aka scabs) was recently posted on careerbuilder.com. The mystery company seeks scabs to come to an East Coast city to work as reporters, photographers, graphic artists, news assistants and truck drivers in the event of […]
HOT DOCUMENT: New Inky/DN Owners Have Buyer’s Remorse, And Now They Wanna Make YOU Sorry Too, Says Sgt. Byko
For Immediate Release Contact: Guild Spokesman Stu Bykofsky, 267-REDACTED A MATTER OF SURVIVAL November 18, 2006 The new owners of the Inquirer, Daily News are having an acute case of buyer’s remorse. Philadelphia Media Holdings — a group of local investors with no prior media ownership experience — now realize it paid too much for the papers and Philly.com, outbidding its rivals. Sadly, the new owners now are targeting their own union employees — and particularly the workers — previously negotiated pensions, job security and sick pay, as the solution to their mistake. There is absolutely no justification for the […]
DON’T STOP THE PRESSES: Guild And Company Reach Agreement, There Will Be No Strike, Repeat THE STRIKE HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST ALL AROUND, Back To Same As It Ever Was
JUST IN FROM ATTYTOOD: The Newspaper Guild and the owners of the Daily News and Inquirer reached a tentative contract agreement minutes ago, averting a newspaper strike here in Philly…assuming the contract is ratified by union members (never a slam dunk). I know nothing of the details, although I imagine Steve Volk will figure it out soon. The upshot is you still have Attytood to kick around — aren’t you glad? GUILD PDF: NO STRIKE PREVIOUSLY: A Strike Would Be ‘Mutual Suicide’ SGT BYKO REPORTS: The Guild and the PN reached a tentative agreement on all issues at 10:15 p.m. […]
(THE LAST) STOP THE PRESSES: GUILD Ratifies Contract, Drafts, Passes And Affixes F.U. Resolution Before Sending It Back To THE COMPANY
SGT. BYKO’S FINAL REPORT: After the questions subsided and a motion was approved to start the vote, another motion was presented, and approved after some debate. That motion ?instructs the Local 10 Executive Board to discuss – and pass — a resolution saying the following: ?1- Because of their tight-fisted, slash-and-burn, anti-labor tactics, we have NO CONFIDENCE in the new owners? actual desire to publish great newspapers ?2- Because of the new owners? recent record of poor business decisions, which includes hiring executives while promising layoffs of union workers, we have NO FAITH in their desire to treat employees with […]
Stop The Presses: It’s Official, Philebrity Is Megaphone Of THE MAN, Phawker Is Soapbox Of THE PEOPLE
Breaking: Tierney Speaks To PN Rank & File, Makes Stunning Use Of Bold Italics December 7, 2006 To: PN Employees From: Brian Tierney An Open Letter to Employees: At the very beginning of negotiations with our unions, I said that I would treat our discussions with confidentiality and respect, and not negotiate in public. However, with all the rhetoric going around, I feel we must separate some facts from fiction. Let me highlight a few examples. We are not proposing to take away anyone’s pension benefit. The Pension Fund is federally guaranteed. We are only proposing to no longer make […]
Stop The Presses: MEXICAN STANDOFF After Talks Breakdown Over Pension Fund Deal-Breaker, From The Look Of Things Christmas May Have To Be Cancelled
SGT. BYKO REPORTS: Today, the Company refused to move on its plan to freeze the pension fund. It wouldn’t budge on its desire to take full control of our fund away from the joint board of trustees. The Company wants all that power as it, and it alone, seeks a multi-employer plan in which to place the frozen fund. The Guild negotiating team told the Company it would go into a multi-employer pension fund, but it would not relinquish its place in the decision making process. Under the Guild plan, the pension trustees — composed of an equal number of […]
STOP THE PRESSES: 457 Articles About THE STRIKE Add Up To A LOT Of Dead Trees And Not Much News
Taken as mash-up, the incompleteness of this moment, repeated over and over again, is actually quite hypnotic and we find it helps to pass the time until some actual news happens, here you try… Papers, Union Continue Contract Talks Houston Chronicle — United States – 7 hours ago WASHINGTON POST By JOANN LOVIGLIO AP Writer. — 2006 AP. PHILADELPHIA — The largest union at Philadelphia’s two biggest newspapers resumed contract … Philly Papers, Union Talks to Continue Forbes, NY — 19 hours ago By DEBORAH YAO 12.03.06, 1:58 AM ET. The largest union at Philadelphia’s two biggest newspapers reported some progress […]
STOP THE PRESSES: Let The Measuring of The Circumference Of Each Side’s Sack Commence
THIS JUST IN FROM SGT. BYKO: CWA BOARD APPROVES GUILD STRIKE AS BARGAINING CONTINUES The Communications Workers of America executive board has authorized International President Larry Cohen to call a strike at The Inquirer and Daily News if the local bargaining committee believes talks have broken down and there is no alternative. Local President Henry J. Holcomb was informed of the our parent union?s decision by James J. Short, CWA district vice president for Pennsylvania (District 13), and Linda K. Foley, the Guild’s international president. Holcomb received the news at a meeting in Short’s Center City office with Foley participating […]
Stop The Presses: HANDICAPPING THE HANDICAPPED or So Fucked I Can’t Believe It
IF THEY SETTLE: The ownership will have expended all goodwill and local-boys-make-good political capital earned from buying the Inky/DN out of Knight-Ridder indentured servitude and now leads a dispirited and mutinous newsroom aboard a creaking wooden ship into the darkening seas of print journalism’s final voyage, hoping against hope that the scout team sent to Online Island returns with news of a place to dock, potable water and low-hanging fruit that can sustain the captain and crew into the sunset of senescence. IF THEY STRIKE: Guild puts out online paper and really gets the hang of this Web content thing […]
STOP THE PRESSES: And Fire Up The Internets, There’s A New Paper In Town And You Can’t Read It On The Can
From Sgt. Byko’s Lips To Our Ears: Guild And The Company are in FINAL bargaining meeting, could last an hour, could last 48 hours, but if THE STRIKE comes: Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News staffers to launch competing online paper if workers strike By Associated Press Wednesday, November 29, 2006 – Updated: 08:14 AM EST PHILADELPHIA – The largest union at Philadelphia’s two biggest daily newspapers is planning to launch\ an online newspaper to compete with the company Web site if workers go on strike after midnight on Thursday. Employees from The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News would contribute local […]
HOT DOCUMENT: Inky/DN Guild Memo
FROM THE DESK OF SGT. BYKO: TAKE PERSONAL STUFF HOME Please remove personal items that you use or value from the workplace before expires at midnight Thursday, November 30. If a strike becomes necessary, you will not be allowed to enter the building to retrieve your belongings. Your bargaining committee is working hard to avert a strike. If one becomes necessary it will be because the new owners are being too aggressive in seeking to force us to help pay for their purchase of our newspapers. Keep working until you hear from your union officers that a strike has been […]