Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Judge Rules Against Santa Barbara News-Press, Multiple Labor Violations Found

By Rachel Kaufman
Media Jobs Daily

An administrative law judge has found the Santa Barbara News-Press committed several violations of the National Labor Relations Act, reports Craig Smith last week.

Among the violations were laying off a columnist and suspending (and later firing) a sports writer without notifying the paper's union; assigning work away from union-covered employees to temps and freelancers, and failing to notify the union before implementing new work-related policies.

Judge Clifford H. Anderson ordered the News-Press to offer both laid-off employees reinstatement to their former jobs and compensate them for any earnings lost.

"[Owner Wendy] McCaw will undoubtedly appeal, as she always does, so I wouldn't advise either Mineards or Moran to make any immediate plans to return to their desks in the newsroom," writes Smith.

Click through to Smith's original post to read the 151-page opinion, if you go in for that sort of thing.

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