After three long years, the Albany Newspaper Guild and 11 illegally laid-off employees are celebrating this week. An agreement reached Friday by the Guild, the Times Union newspaper and the NLRB provides payments to all the workers, with three of them returning to their jobs. “This is a victory not only for these workers but for all our members,” local President Tim O’Brien said. “This means the company must respect our right to negotiate over the criteria for layoffs and not simply walk out whomever management pleases.” Photo: Albany Guild informational picket, 2009.

A Buffalo Newspaper Guild initiative to do more community service got off to a great start Saturday as members turned out in the rain to pick up litter as part of the community's annual Spring Shoreline Cleanup. “I have never been prouder to be a Buffalo Guild member than when I saw 20 union members showing up to clean up trash at a small park on the Buffalo River," member Dan Herbeck said.

Nearly two weeks after the Guild presented a significant counterproposal, Times negotiators responded today by rejecting virtually every facet of the offer, adding that they had no interest in pursuing contract talks until the Guild agreed to their pension-freeze demand.