Celebrate our local's anniversary March 29
The Guild's 2008 events calendar is set, with one important date coming up soon: Our spring party (marking the 74th anniversary of our local's charter) from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, at Max's Allegheny Tavern on the North Side. The party will include beer, wine, pop and snacks, as well as our annual Pirates ticket giveaway. Here are some other dates to put on your 2008 calendars:
Thursday, June 5 - Quarterly Membership Meeting, Steelworkers Building
Saturday, August 9 -- Annual Picnic, Sunset Beach, Washington County
Monday, September 1 -- Labor Day Parade, Downtown (Lunch at River City Inn)
Thursday, September 4 -- Quarterly Membership Meeting, Steelworkers Building
Thursday, October 2 -- Off The Record, Byham Theater, Downtown (tentative date)
Thursday, December 4 - Quarterly Membership Meeting, Steelworkers Building
Saturday, December 6 -- Holiday Gala, Sassy Marie's Restaurant, North Side

Remember: We don't work for free
You work overtime, you get paid for it. Period. Remember, there is no comp time, and overtime is a right, not a privilege. Too often, Guild members work an hour, two hours, maybe even longer, without any compensation from the company, and we're only hurting ourselves when we do it. Think about it this way: If every Guild member at the Post-Gazette worked just one extra hour a week without submitting an overtime request (that's less than 15 extra minutes each day), the company would be getting the work of six full-time employees without paying an extra dime. So, when you work OT without getting paid, you're not just hurting your bottom line, you're hurting every other Guild member. Your time is valuable, and your work is valuable, so we encourage you to do your job and to do it well. Just don't do it for free.

Guild to hold international election in April
It's official: There are two candidates for the job of president of the Newspaper Guild. Bernie Lunzer, who currently holds the No. 2 job as the international's secretary-treasurer, is challenging incumbent Linda Foley, who has held the job since 1995.

Lunzer is running with a slate (www.astrongerguild.org) that includes secretary-treasurer candidate and current Chairwoman Carol Rothman of Philadelphia and Baltimore's Connie Knox, who currently serves on the Guild's executive board as Region 2 vice president.

Foley's ticket (www.teamguild.org) includes Scott Stephens, a regional vice president out of northeast Ohio, and Lois Kirkup of Ottawa, vice president of the Canada East region. The Pittsburgh Guild's executive committee has endorsed the Lunzer/Rothman/Knox slate of candidates.

The election will be held in mid April. Look for more information on the election soon in your e-mail inbox.

Committee explores pension options
During the December discussion about our frozen pension plan and a possible merger with the Newspaper Guild International Plan, an ad-hoc committee was created to explore alternatives.

The committee consists of Bill Campbell, Erik Greenawalt, Bob Hoover, Joyce Mendelsohn and Bill Toland, and is overseen by Unit Secretary Dave Peters. The group has met five times so far and will continue to explore other possibilities for our fund.

However, with the stock market having taken a recent swoon, it's likely that any plans for our pension will have to wait for a recovery on Wall Street. We will, of course, keep everyone posted on any developments regarding the plan, and, should you have questions or input, please see a member of the committee or talk to Guild President R.J. Hufnagel.

The Guild undertakes cost-cutting effort
As we confront an uncertain economy and a shrinking membership, the Guild is certainly not alone in looking for ways to save money. With that in mind, we have made attempts recently to pare down our expenses significantly, particularly in the cost of our social events.

A prime example is the holiday party, traditionally one of our most popular, but most expensive, events. The cost of the most recent holiday party was about 55 percent less than the cost of the 2006 event, and about one third of the cost of the 2002 event. We also have made efforts to cut costs in our travel, office and other expenses as we try, along with our members, to deal with a thinner bottom line.