The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild's seven week strike against the Seattle Times ended on Jan. 8, 2001, when unit members voted 359-116 in reluctant approval of a contract that was not much different than the package offered by the Times before the strike began. Of the 870 Guild-represented workers at the Times, approximately 200 crossed the picket lines and publication and distribution of both newspapers continued during the strike. The composing room unit represented by a sister local, Communications Workers of America Local 14761, had struck in conjunction with the Guild when it walked out on Nov. 21, 2000. It approved its contract by a vote of 45-17.

106th Congress - Legislative Round-up

Postal
The House Government Reform Committee failed to vote on HR 22, the Postal Modernization Act. Republicans and Democrats expressed concern over moving the legislation forward because of its controversial provisions allowing the USPS to set its own rates, without an extensive review by the Postal Rate Commission. NAA opposed the legislation because of these pricing flexibility provisions, particularly language allowing the USPS to give special contract rates to our large advertising mail competitors.

Estate Taxes
Even though the repeal of the federal estate tax did not cross the finish line, NAA is pleased with the progress has been made in building momentum for estate tax reform. The House and Senate passed a death tax repeal bill with strong bipartisan support and both presidential candidates have either talked about the need for reform or elimination of this devastating tax. Public sentiment for estate tax repeal grows as voters in South Dakota and Montana recently approved measures repealing their state inheritance taxes.

Sports Fantasy Games
Proponents of a ban on Internet gambling failed to attach such a prohibition on a free standing appropriations bill before the end of the Congress. In the last few weeks in the legislative session, NAA worked on legislative language to carve-out sports fantasy games and educational contests from the proposed ban.

Database Protection Legislation
Efforts to move database legislation were unsuccessful due in large part to jurisdictional issues between the House Commerce and Judiciary Committees. While the staff of both committees negotiated through mid-October on the two competing database bills (HR 354 & HR 1858), they were unable to reach an agreement. Proponents of database protection, Representative Howard Coble (R-NC) and Senator DeWine (R-Ohio) both gave floor speeches at the end of the session expressing the desire to move database legislation next year.

OSHA Finalizes Ergonomics Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on November 14, 2000 published in the Federal Register (65 Fed. Reg. 68262-68870) the final Ergonomics Program Standard requiring all businesses to establish an ergonomics program if an employee is injured by, or at risk of, a musculoskeletal disorder, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or lower back pain. The standard will go into effect on January 16, 2001, but employers will not be required to comply until October 14, 2001.

OSHA published a draft rule in November 1999 that originally covered industries involving material handling and manufacturing. The final rule is significantly broader than the draft proposal since it covers all employers in general industry, except maritime, construction, agriculture and railroad operations.

The final standard contains a controversial provision requiring employers to pay up to 90 percent of an employee's wages and benefits during an injured worker's recuperation. The final rule, however, shortened the length of time for providing this wage replacement from 6 months to 3 months, and employers are allowed to tap into a worker's sick or disability leave to help pay the injured worker. Workers placed on "light duty" would receive 100 percent of wages and benefits for 3 months.

The standard also contains provisions that were never subjected to public review. For instance, the standard provides examples of risk factors and levels of exposure that would "trigger" a comprehensive ergonomics program. These so-called "action triggers" include activities such as the use of a keyboard and/or mouse in a steady manner for more than 4 hours a day and repeating a cycle of motions more than 2 times a minute for more than 2 consecutive hours. NAA believes these thresholds are too low and would, in effect, extend the regulatory reach of the rule to almost every business in America.

For more than a decade, newspapers have implemented sound ergonomic programs at all levels of newspaper operations. Because of the industry's proactive position on ergonomics, NAA had filed public comments asking OSHA to abandon the mandatory ergonomics standard in favor of voluntary guidelines that will assist employers, especially small businesses, in setting up or refining ergonomic processes.

Business organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have already filed lawsuits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit seeking a review of the OSHA standard. NAA will likely support the legal challenge to the rule, as it appears that this is the only remedy for correcting this far-reaching and onerous mandate. For further information, contact Paul Boyle, boylp@naa.org; (202) 638-4784.

Click here for the full text of the rule located on OSHA’s Ergonomics World Wide Web site.

NAA Summary of OSHA Ergonomics Standard

For further information contact Paul Boyle, vice president/government affairs, or Don Hensel, environmental and safety services manager.

NAA has developed a training manual and two videos to assist member newspapers in developing an ergonomics program with the six programmatic elements outlined in the proposed OSHA standard. The complete ergonomics kit can be ordered by calling 1 (800) 651-4NAA (reference item 10058).

Recycling Is a Part of Life

For millions of Americans, recycling has become an integral part of life. And in communities across America, newspapers actively promote the recycling of their products. Over the last decade, newspaper recycling has had a dramatic and positive effect on the environment-and the way the newspaper industry does business.

What does all this mean today? Here are a few facts about newspaper recycling that show how important newspapers are in our everyday lives-and how important recycling newspapers is to our future.