To my future Guild brothers and sisters at Law360:
I am the unit chair for the Guild at Bloomberg BNA, and have been an officer, steward, and/or activist with the union for nearly all of my 11 years here. I wanted to reach out and express my support for your organizing efforts and to encourage each and every one of you to vote in favor of Guild representation.
The Guild has been an integral part of BNA for decades, and has allowed us to attract and retain the best and the brightest because of the generous rights and benefits we have in our collective bargaining agreement. And I can usually provoke some jaw drops from my friends—most of whom aren’t in union environments—when I tell them about my 4 weeks of vacation (soon to be 5!), job protections, guaranteed annual pay raises on top of an annual bonus, health benefits, telework arrangement, overtime, parenting leave, pension (and 401(k)), etc. I could go on, but I am STILL discovering fantastic benefits in our CBA that I didn’t know we had.And that's after participating in 3 rounds of bargaining where I was able to have a voice in all of these things.
There is absolutely no reason NOT to have a union.
We are all rooting for you, and we have your backs. There is indeed strength in numbers. Keep fighting the good fight.
In solidarity,
Laura Francis
Senior Legal Editor, Bloomberg BNA
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Greetings!
I want to wish all of you at Law360 the strength, courage and tenacity to see your fight to the end and become unionized! The struggles you have endured so far have surely been challenging but know that it will all be worth it.
In these days leading up to your election, be sure to lend support to one another and to stand strong to not cave to the fear-mongering you surely experience. Don’t let emotional fears weaken your resolve and cause you to lose sight of your goal – due process in the workplace!
Know that, beyond the more obvious benefits like vacation days, sick days, overtime pay and healthcare, the most valuable asset in your contract will be the due process it affords each of you in protecting your job. None of the other benefits matter if you don’t have a job because of the arbitrary whim of a manager.
Finally, recognize management’s arguments against organizing for what they are – tools to instill fear. Don’t allow yourself to be led by false promises, such as higher pay or fairer treatment if you vote against organizing. If management were going to pay you more, they could have always done so and would have done so already. If management were going to treat you better, they could have always done so and would have done so already. In fact, a union contract will not prevent management from giving you more pay, nor will it prevent them from treating you better. The standards set forth for management in the contract will be the minimum, not the ceiling.
And lastly, know that the dues are minuscule compared to the benefits you will receive. The value of difference in healthcare costs, vacation pay, guaranteed raises, overtime pay and all the benefits of job security you will have with a collectively bargained contract will FAR exceed the amount of dues you will pay.
We are all cheering for you and looking forward to your membership in The News Guild!
In Solidarity,
Tammara Madison
Federal Tax Law Editor
Bloomberg BNA