CARRIER VIEWPOINT

by Ted Kinsella

It's nice to be able to start this column by commenting on good news. It took more than a year to settle, but finally a few days ago there was a notice posted about the Free Press carriers' grievance concerning improper payment for inserts delivered with the paper.

By the time you read this, you will have received retroactive pay differentials for inserts you delivered since the last contract became effective. Unfortunately, I doubt that any of us have managed to track operations well enough to actually verify the accuracy of the payment.

I really never could agree with the Free Press stand that an insert wasn't an insert if it was produced and printed in-house by the newspaper. This was an irritant to me and I am glad that it now has been settled.

More good news: Some of us have noticed on the morning insert list at the depots that we did not seem to be getting paid for the little coupon book we had a few days ago. In fact, it turns out we are getting paid for it.

Until there are some changes -- updates -- on the computer, we may from time to time notice discrepancies like this. WhatÕs happening here is that the corrections are made manually, and later in the day the information is given to the district managers. So it seems we will get paid correctly in the end.

I get asked every day what is happening regarding negotiations for our next collective bargaining agreement. The answer is, currently -- nothing.

Negotiations had started in the fall. Coincidentally, this happened to be the time when ownership of the Free Press passed into new hands. At the last negotiating session we had, the company's negotiating team requested a pause in the talks to allow the company negotiators to consult with the new owners and receive direction from them. Our negotiating committee felt that no purpose would be served in denying the request and agreed to the pause in the talks. This means that negotiations are going to be on hold until the company gets back to us.

Meanwhile, our old contract remains in effect and there seems to be some new willingness on the part of the company to clear at least some of the backlog of grievances. The temporary delay in negotiations is causing us no serious concern right now.

The only other thing I should mention is a reminder to all: Make sure you have the right insurance on your car. We now require the new insurance classification that also covers courier and similar services. The extra cost is about five per cent, but without it you could be deemed uninsured in the event of an accident while on a delivery run.

Our invitation to you to contribute items of the Carrier Corner continues. We will be happy to receive and accommodate your contributions. Just give me a call at 582.7001.