January Meetings with GCC/IBT Representative Mike Huggins

Negotiations were scheduled for January 9th and 10th. The company cancelled the session scheduled for the 10th, so we are going to use this time and opportunity to introduce our GCC/IBT Rep. Mike Huggins to our bargaining unit employees.

We will be holding meetings in both Los Angeles and Orange County.

We will meet in Los Angeles on Thursday January 10th at 11:00am at Shakey's Pizza. This location is just minutes north of the Oly Plant and frwy convenient.

Just click on the maps to enlarge.
On January 11th we will be meeting in Orange County at the usual spot, Round Table Pizza on Euclid and Warner in Fountain Valley.
Be sure to attend one of these meetings to meet Mike and get informed.
Bring your questions as well as a guest.

(revision) The January 10th flyer was improperly dated Friday. The correct date is Thursday, January 10. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused. Thank's for the catch Brother Banuelos.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE RENEY'S (REMEMBER TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG)

The True Meaning of Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Wishing all of my brothers and sisters and your families a very happy, safe and memorable HOLIDAY SEASON.

The spirit of caring and giving is something that surpasses the seasons and should be part of our lives everyday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Happy Holiday's from The Pineda Family!

Speak no Evil, See no Evil, Hear no Evil......

When thinking about how the negotiations are going, or for that matter, not going, all I can think of is the image to your right. It may as well be these three on the other side of the table.

The Senior Vice President Of Operations has said more in the last few days than he has during the five negotiation sessions combined.

What are his objectives in doing so?

His intentions are as always, to divide and conquer. His hopes are to de-certify our union representation so that management can pickup where they left off, and continue to take our trade and us down along with the company.

He want's the bargaining unit to lose faith in our union representatives, the negotiating committee, and the collective bargaining process. His motives should be obvious and his mis-information ignored. Our representative Mike Huggins has accused the company and it's representatives of "SURFACE BARGAINING" and thats about all they have done, while claiming to be bargaining in good faith.

Russ stated in O.C. "They don't even have an attorney on their side" When necessary, our attorney and anyone else we need to be, will be seated on our side of the table.

I continue to wonder why any of our peers would continue to believe someone who has continually stated that we are overpaid and had said to an L.A. pressman, quote "I can't wait to get to the table to cut your wages". That is about the only truth to have come from his lips. He has went as far as to tell one of our top operators that if he didn't like it here, he could get a job at McDonalds. Another employee informed him that he was very stressed and actually considered suicide, to which he was told to find another job. Great sign of compassion for his subordinate. He didn't have to find another job, instead he was fired!

His statement to the O.C. Machinists calling us Pressroom employees "Buffoons" was insulting and shows what he really thinks of the pressroom employees who have worked for the L.A. Times for decades.

I had refrained from posting anything about Russ's statements until he chose to lie to our brothers and sisters by saying that the company offered the negotiating committee a Tribune contract, and we refused it. THAT IS A LIE!
Proposals are all that have been exchanged and the proposals they presented are not to be found in any Tribune contract nor would your committee ever consider bringing these ridiculous proposals back to the bargaining unit without expecting to be strung up in the parking lot.

Remember this story?

Aesop's Fables The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once upon a time there was a very naughty shepherd-boy. He often fell asleep while he was watching his sheep. And he told lies. The villagers shook their heads and said, 'That boy will come to a bad end.'

One day, when he was feeling very bored, the boy decided to play a practical joke on the villagers. He ran down the hill. 'Wolf, wolf!' he cried. 'Help, come quickly. Wolf!' All the villagers seized their spears and ran to help him. But there was no wolf. 'He heard you,' the naughty boy lied, 'and ran away.'
When everyone had gone, he started to laugh.


Three weeks later, when he was feeling very bored indeed, he decided to play the same trick again. 'Wolf, wolf' he shouted. 'Help, come quickly. Wolf!' Most of the villagers hurried to help him. This time the boy laughed at them. 'Ha, ha. There wasn't a wolf,' he said. 'What a good joke!' The villagers were very angry.

' Lies are not jokes,' they said. Two days later the boy woke up suddenly. He had fallen asleep in the afternoon sun. What was that big dark animal coming towards his flock? Suddenly it seized a lamb. 'Wolf!' screamed the boy. 'Wolf. Help, come quickly. Wolf!'

But none of the villagers came to help him. He screamed again. The wolf heard him and licked its lips, 'I like lamb,' it thought, 'but shepherd-boy tastes much nicer.'
When the shepherd-boy didn't come home that night, some of the villagers went to look for him. They found a few bones.


How long will you keep listening to the shepard boy's lies??

Done Deal!

Tribune Completes Going-Private Transaction; Sam Zell Named Chairman & CEO

Zell Increases Investment in Company to $315 Million; New Board of Directors Elected
Last update: 12:54 p.m. EST Dec. 20, 2007

CHICAGO, Dec 20, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ --
Tribune Company TRB 33.98, +0.91, +2.8%) announced today that it has completed its going-private transaction by merging with an acquisition subsidiary of the Tribune Employee Stock Ownership Plan (Tribune ESOP). Effective immediately, Sam Zell, who financed the transaction, assumes the roles of chairman of the board and chief executive officer.

"We have a tremendous opportunity to take the great brands of Tribune Company, and the enormous talent within the company, to a new level," said Zell. "Tribune, along with the newspaper industry, has been mired in its monopolistic origins, and we intend to create a fresh, entrepreneurial culture that is fast and nimble, and which rewards innovation. Our goal is to provide a sustainable, relevant product for our customers and communities."

Under the terms of the merger agreement, all of the company's publicly held shares of common stock, except for those owned by the Tribune ESOP and shares held by shareholders who validly exercise appraisal rights, will be cashed out at $34 per share. Shareholders approved the transaction at a special meeting held on Aug. 21, 2007. The company's common stock will cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange at market close today.

On April 2, 2007, Tribune announced its intention to become a private company, owned 100 percent by the Tribune ESOP. EGI-TRB, an entity run by Zell, made an initial investment of $250 million in Tribune, and Zell was named to the company's board of directors in May. As part of the going-private transaction, EGI-TRB increased its investment to $315 million by purchasing a note and a warrant to acquire up to 40 percent of the company's common equity on a fully diluted basis.

Board and Management Changes

Contingent upon board approval this afternoon, Tribune's board will have a total of eight directors, chaired by Zell. The company expects to add the following directors: --

Jeffrey S. Berg, 60, chairman and chief executive officer ofInternational Creative Management, Inc. He serves on the Board of Visitors at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and on the Board of Directors of Oracle Corporation. He is also on the London School of Economics' Court of Governors.

-- Brian L. Greenspun, 61, chairman and chief executive officer of The Greenspun Corporation, and president and editor of the Las Vegas Sun. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and a member of the International Advisory Council of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy in Washington. Greenspun also serves on the University of Nevada President's Community Advisory Board. The Greenspun family has made a significant investment in Tribune Company.

-- William C. Pate, 44, chief investment officer of Equity Group Investments, LLC. Pate serves on the boards of Covanta Holding Corporation and Exterran Holdings Inc. He is a nominee of Zell's affiliate agreement with Tribune Company.

-- Maggie Wilderotter, 52, chairman and chief executive officer of Citizens Communications. Wilderotter has 30 years of experience in the communications industry, and serves on the board of directors of Yahoo! and Xerox Corporation, as well as the boards for a number of non-profit
organizations.

-- Frank E. Wood, 65, chief executive officer of Secret Communications, LLC, a venture capital company in Cincinnati. Wood, a former lawyer, spent 33 years in the radio broadcasting business. He is chairman of the board of 8e6 Technologies, an internet filtering company, and serves on the board of Chemed Corporation and C Bank, a new business bank.

William A. Osborn and Betsy D. Holden each have been re-elected to serve on Tribune's board. -- Holden, 52, joined Tribune Company's board of directors in 2002. She is a senior advisor to McKinsey & Company and the former president of global marketing and category development at Kraft Foods, Inc. She also serves on the board of Western Union Company.

-- Osborn, 60, joined Tribune Company's board of directors in 2001. He is chairman and chief executive officer and a director of Northern Trust Corporation and its principal subsidiary, The Northern Trust Company. In addition, he serves on the board of Caterpillar, Inc.

Tribune's executive management team, led by Zell, adds Randy Michaels as executive vice president and chief executive officer of Interactive and Broadcasting, and Gerald A. Spector as executive vice president and chief administrative officer. -- Michaels, 55, was formerly CEO of Local TV, LLC, a company that acquired television stations formerly owned by New York Times Company. He has more than 37 years in media, including his role as president and
chief executive officer at Jacor, which merged with Clear Channel Communications in 1999. As CEO, Michaels grew Clear Channel from 425 to 1200 stations in just three years.

-- Spector, 61, previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Equity Residential. Prior to that role, he was COO of Equity Group Investments. Spector has more than 35 years of experience in bringing various financial and real estate companies within Zell's organization to operational excellence. He remains on the board of trustees of Equity Residential as vice chairman.

Press Conference

Sam Zell will hold a press conference regarding Tribune's going-private transaction at Tribune Tower at 2:30 p.m. CDT (3:30 EDT, 12:30 PDT). Tribune Tower is located at 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago. Media wishing to cover the event should e-mail their contact information to dbrown@tribune.com, and check in at the main entrance of the Tower. The press conference will be available by satellite on:
Galaxy 17
Transponder 13 -- Horizontal
11967.25 MHz
1217.25 MHz. L-band
4.2969 m/S symbol rate
5/6 FEC

An audio webcast of the press conference will be available on the company's website, http://www.tribune.com/.

About Tribune Company

Tribune is one of the country's top media companies, operating businesses in publishing, interactive and broadcasting. It reaches more than 80 percent of U.S. households and is the only media organization with newspapers, television stations and websites in the nation's top three markets. In publishing, Tribune's leading daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.), The Sun (Baltimore), South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel and Hartford Courant. The company's broadcasting group operates 23 television stations, Superstation WGN on national cable, Chicago's WGN-AM and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune's print and broadcast properties and extend the company's nationwide audience.
SOURCE Tribune Company http://www.tribune.com/
Copyright (C) 2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

TRIBUNE COMPANY PRESS RELEASE

December 19, 2007

FitzSimons to Step Down as Tribune Company Chairman and CEO

CHICAGO, Dec. 19, 2007 –- Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB)
announced today that Dennis FitzSimons will step down as
chairman and chief executive officer immediately after the
company completes its going-private transaction. FitzSimons
will leave the company at the end of the year.

"I am proud to have been part of Tribune for more than 25
years," said FitzSimons. "The company’s greatest strength
has always been the talent and dedication of its 20,000
employees. I thank them for their commitment to serving our
readers, viewers, listeners and advertisers."

On April 2, 2007, Tribune announced its intention to become
a private company, owned 100 percent by the Tribune Employee
Stock Ownership Plan (Tribune ESOP). At that time, Sam Zell
made an initial investment of $250 million in the company.
He joined Tribune’s board of directors in May. When the
transaction closes, his investment in Tribune will increase
to $315 million and he will become chairman of the board.

"Sam Zell is an entrepreneur with a phenomenal track
record," added FitzSimons. "He has made a significant
investment in Tribune that indicates his strong belief in
the value of the company’s media assets. It was Sam’s
creativity, personal commitment and investment that made
this transaction possible."

"Dennis FitzSimons has provided Tribune with outstanding
leadership through a challenging environment," said Zell.
"He helped build the company into one of the nation’s
premier media businesses, and has been instrumental in
guiding Tribune to the closing of this historic transaction.
I wish him much success in the next phase of his career."

George Carlin: education and the owners of America

SOUNDS LIKE GEORGE CARLIN WORKED FOR TRIBUNE?

(WARNING) This is George Carlin, so expect adult language and do not play if you have small children in the room.

Brought to you by Charles Laird.

Is junk media making you sick???

Teamster News

TEAMSTER NEWS

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS
For Immediate Release Contact:
December 12, 2007 Galen Munroe, (202) 624-6904

TEAMSTERS QUESTION FCC REQUIREMENTS FOR OWNER CONTROL IN TRIBUNE DEAL
Teamsters File Request for Reconsideration

(Washington, D.C.) – Today the International Brotherhood of Teamsters sought reconsideration of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision granting the Tribune Company’s [NYSE: TRB] transfer of ownership request and its associated requests for waiver of the Commission’s newspaper/broadcast cross ownership rules.

The deal involves transferring 100% ownership of the Company to employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) but provides employee owners no role in the governance of either the ESOP or the operating company. Instead, real estate entrepreneur Sam Zell, who will not have an ownership interest, along with his handpicked Board of Directors and ESOP trustee, will control the company including its fourteen newspapers, twenty-three television stations and one radio station.

"Apparently the FCC was tuned out during its public listening tour," said James P. Hoffa, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. "In its rush to judgment, the Commission has failed to enforce its current rules or protect the public interest."
The Teamsters, which represents 2,000 Tribune employees, raised concerns with the FCC about the buyout structure of the Tribune Company. The Teamsters believe the structure violates the FCC’s requirement (Section 310-D of the Communications Act) that stations be controlled by their owners, and not by Sam Zell, a trust established for the benefit of members of his family, and a pre-selected ESOP trustee. This third party ownership violates the FCC’s requirement that stations be controlled by their owners, and undermines the public interest and the FCC’s mission of promoting localism and diversity.

In oral testimony at the Commission’s October 31st public hearing--the last of a series by the
agency to consider the impact of broadcast cross ownership rules on localism--the Teamsters alerted the Commission to violations the deal posed. The testimony, a summary of which also was filed in the Tribune proceeding, reads in part:

"This separation of ownership and management is unprecedented and would set a new, and very low, standard for compliance with the Communication Act’s public interest requirements, which are the basis for the localism and diversity principles in broadcasting," said George Tedeschi, International Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and employee of the Tribune’s New York Newsday.

Founded in 1905, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States and Canada.

WELL ISN'T THAT INTERESTING

I KNOW A LOT OF OUR COWORKERS ARE WAITING FOR NEWS REGARDING THE NEGOTIATIONS !WELL WE FOUND OUT THAT WE (THE LOS ANGELES TIMES) ARE SEPARATE FROM THE TRIBUNE FAMILY AND IN CHICAGO AND ELSEWHERE THE NEWS PAPER MUST BE MADE VERY DIFFERENTLY.
DOES ANY BODY REMEMBER THE VISIT FROM A REP.FROM MANPOWER?DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE BECAME F.T.E'S THAT'S THE WAY ITS BEEN GOING.JUST SHORT OF BEING ACCUSED OF TRYING TO BURDEN THE COMPANY BY BEING COSTLY AND HAVING NO FLEXIBILITY.IN OTHER WORDS BASICALLY THE WORDS OF NEGOTIATING IN GOOD FAITH HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT MEANING TO TO THE TRIBUNE THEN WHAT I THOUGHT IT MEANT.
SERIOUSLY PEOPLE NOW IS THE TIME WE AS COWORKERS, FRIENDS,LONG TIME ASSOCIATES HAVE TO COME TOGETHER SET OUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE.THE CLIMATE OF THE CORPORATE WORLD IS AS SUCH WE THE WORKERS HAVE BECOME A DISPOSABLE TOOL TO BE USED AND REPLACED AS NEEDED.THE ONLY HOPE WE HAVE TO KEEP SOME RESEMBLANCE OF DIGNITY IS TO BECOME ONE VOICE AND STAND UP FOR ONE ANOTHER.
I WISH I HAD SOME GOOD NEWS BUT THIS IS A VERY TEDIOUS PROCESS PLEASE BE PATIENT AT LEAST FOR NOW THE LOSSES OR CHANGES ARE SLOWED.THANK YOU

consistently inconsistent pressmen

You pressmen who are sitting back watching the show going on are only further enabling this company to believe through our actions that they can do just about what they want.Step up and stand for something once in your life,you are constantly talking about wrongs done in the pressroom but have no balls to even wear a doggone shirt or take your whole lunch.That ten or fifteen minute bustout means more to you than your families security.None of us have any real security they can ignore seniority or do anything to us because of you wishy washy grown ass men. wake up brothers and sisters don't let this chance we have,maybe our last chance to better our lives with Teamter support pass us bye.This union is only as solid as we want it to be, stop cheating yourself.We all have given a large part of our lives being a part of this once proud bird, enduring horrible shifts, holidays at work instead of with families.I think we deserve alot more than we get, don't you?You don't have to walk around in fear you know the rules go by the letter, you should be anyhow man this is America land of the free. We are only as strong as you individually want to be.Together we stand divided we fall.Show support for the union get off the wall. Stand up!

Unsettling Settlement Dis-Agreement!

Greeting's Brothers and Sisters.

Negotiations began exactly one month ago today and we have met with management three times during this period. We are scheduled to meet again in a week on December 5th and 6th.
Alot has been accomplished and nothing has been accomplished. Confused? That's what management wants. I was hesitant to post anything until giving the negotiations an opportunity to get on the right path. The company is on a different path all together and continues to show that they are as out of touch as ever with their employees and their employees needs. That is why WE need to fight for what is in our best interest.

Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement approved by NLRB Regional Director James Small, the company declared:

"We Will Not" discriminate against our employees by ceasing to award meal tickets for work performance or by changing our current practice of permitting employees to"LEAVE EARLY" when the work we assign to them is completed, because our employees supported and/or assisted the Union.

They also declared "We Will" continue our practice of permitting employees to leave early when the work we assign to them is completed.

The ink on this settlement between the company and the NLRB has barely dried, yet Walker and the company have intentionally and arrogantly ignored THE AGREEMENT. We filed Unfair Labor Practice charges informing the NLRB that as a result of certification, unilateral changes intended to punish us for voting for representation were being made in violation of our rights under section 7 of the NLRA. The NLRB was preparing to charge the company with violating our rights, so as to avoid the charge, the settlement was proposed by the company and we signed on because we believed that the company would obey the law and abide by the settlement agreements, it's obvious to our brothers and sisters in L.A. that they have no intention.

In our few negotiation sessions, the committee attempted to resolve the matter of washing blankets twice in a shift, and informed management that we view this unilateral change as retaliation and in violation of the settlement agreement because it extends the work hours and punishes the bargaining unit by not allowing employees to leave early at the end of their run as we have done for decades. We have never washed twice, it was either before or after a run and management knows this fact because of all the arguments we have had over the years as to when washing is best, before or after. We have ran multiple runs without washing and because of this time honored practice, having to wash twice clearly is a form of retaliation. Those attempts for resolution by the committee have been intentionally ignored as well.

Another way the settlement and our rights are being blatantly ignored, and the bargaining unit punished, is by the new procedure of having crews "change over" and stand by until all other production is complete, never producing a single newspaper, at expense and unnecessary cost to the company.

Seniority has afforded us very little over the years especially under Tribune, thus we valued what we did benefit from our seniority when it was a factor. Management again, in L.A. only, began ignoring what few ways seniority is used when determining crew placement with the only reason being, to retaliate against it's employees.

These acts of IGNORANCE by management have not been ignored by us, by no means, and we will not tolerate it any longer. An opportunity was presented to the company at the table to restore these practices and they AREN'T INTERESTED, so we have again filed unfair labor practice charges and will present our arguments to the NLRB.

For the record, they have yet to make those who suffered a loss by the discontinuance of the meal ticket incentive whole, and we will be sure to inform the NLRB of that fact as well.

(12/05/07 ) Update: Today during negotiations, the company stated that they and the NLRB were continuing to discuss the details of meal tickets owed to those who met the criteria to earn meal tickets under the settlement agreement.

(A unilateral change is ANY change after certification that takes place without collective bargaining. The "bust-out" and meal ticket charges we filed, and the companys settlement agreement to restore the incentive, and allow employees to "leave early" establishes that NO CHANGES were, or are to be made, unless negotiated and agreed to. To prove what I've just stated, the company's proposals seek to eliminate both.)
Ronnie

BASIS OF CHARGE

Within the six months last past, the above-named Employer has unilaterally changed the terms and conditions of employment for bargaining unit employees without providing notice to nor an opportunity to bargain with the charging party.

1. The Employer announced that contrary to the past practice, Press Room employees would be thereafter required to wash blankets twice per shift. The new requirement to wash blankets twice per shift has had a negative impact on bargaining unit employees since washing blankets twice per shift instead of once obviously takes more time, and is physically exerting requiring employees to engage in repetitive motions at difficult angles and thereby increases the risk of industrial injury to such employees. This change also has resulted in the extension of work hours for some employees and the increase has further had the effect of depriving some employees of their lunch period.

2. The Employer has also changed the practice with respect to changing presses at the end of shifts to produce a different product. In the past, this kind of work was not required and has a negative impact on bargaining unit employees since it takes more time and has interfered with the employees’ work schedules by eliminating time historically given to bargaining unit employees to clean up at the end of their shift. Further, in the past, once the employees had finished the work historically assigned to them, they were allowed to clean up and go home without a loss of pay. This unilateral change also changes that historical practice.

3. In the past, bargaining unit employees were selected for particular crews based upon seniority. Such selections were made once a year. Seniority is also used to determine the specific spot on a specific crew selected by an employee. Many bargaining unit employees select a crew based upon the shift assigned to that crew. This provided a mechanism for employees with the most seniority to select the most desirable crews, shifts and days off. Now the Employer, in contravention of this historical practice, has eliminated seniority in the selection of crew placement.

By these and other acts, the above named Employer has and continues to violate the Act.

(basis of charge prepared by Adam Stern ESQ. Attorney at Law)