The Newspaper Guild and Teamsters urge a reader and advertiser boycott of The Macomb Daily and Royal Oak Tribune to dramatize concerns about actions by the owner as it prepares to be acquired April 17 during bankruptcy proceedings.


 

"The unions voted to start an advertiser and subscriber boycott, starting Monday," according to social media posts Sunday. "We also have unanimous strike authorization."

Journal Register is selling most of its assets to 21st CMH Acquisition Co. Interestingly,  21st CMH is a unit of Alden Capital, which owns the Journal Register.

John Peralta of New Baltimore, business representative of Teamsters Local 372, says online:

"The company has not negotiated with any of the Teamsters, only the Guild. The new company, 21st CMH, presented the Guild with a union-busting proposal this week and was surprised that they did not accept it. The Guild does have future meetings set for March 30, 31 and April 1."

At the Newspaper Guild website, a recent "bulletin" says the current publisher, the Journal Register Co., and its prospective buyer. CMH Acquisition Co., "have declared war on employees and unions. There is no other way to see it."

On Feb. 22, JRC gave notice to all the unions at the Macomb Daily and Daily Tribune that it was terminating all collective bargaining agreements. The termination of contracts would be effective March 31. JRC is doing this because it claims it will no longer be the employer when 21st CMH becomes the owner of the newspapers on April 17.
 
JRC has refused to live up to the successor clauses in the collective bargaining agreements. It has refused to require its purchaser, 21st CMH, to accept the current union agreements. . . .
We will not accept union-busting contracts. 

Barbara Ingalls, a Detroit Typographical Union member who went on strike against the Detroit Newspapers in 1995, posts on Facebook:

"Nobody should take this lightly. These workers are fighting for their way of life and they are fighting for everybody's way of life."