The new terms of servitude at The Indianapolis Star

Here are the terms of the contract my friends at The Indianapolis Star are being asked to approve tomorrow.

I know it's easy for me to say, since I left nearly nine years ago, but for God's sake, how far do you let the Gannett weasels push you before you tell them to stuff it and walk out the door.

As I demonstrated in October, 2000, nobody has to work there. And everyone I know who has left is happy they're out. Face it folks, the party was over a long time ago. Gannett sucked the last bit of fun and professionalism out of newspapering in Indianapolis shortly after they came to town. It's time to get on with your lives and out from under the Gannett thumb.

The contract:

+ Permanent pay cut of 10 percent beginning Aug. 30 for all Guild-represented employees. Employees whose pay would drop below the federal minimum wage with a 10 percent pay cut will be reduced only to the federal minimum wage.
+ A wage freeze; no pay increases for the term of the contract (two years from date of signing.)
+ Minimum rates of pay steps remain in the contract but are reduced 10 percent and go "dormant" until 2011. Employees in the steps will not receive their automatic step increases during the term of the contract.
+ Merit pool language remains in the contract but goes dormant. No merit pay increases for Guild-represented employees for the term of the contract.
+ Regarding advertorial content, this deal adds language to allow the Publisher flexibility to assign Guild members "traditional and non-traditional tasks" and requires the Publisher to "be cognizant of and sensitive to its policy relating to ethics and conflicts of interest."
+ In the event of layoffs, the company will consider seniority rights first in regard to staff reductions. In addition, individual skills and abilities and an employee's performance and disciplinary history will be considered. The Guild gives up the right to grieve or seek arbitration on individual layoffs, but we do have the right to grieve and arbitrate if the company ignores seniority or fails to use the criteria properly overall.
+ Three positions currently covered by the Guild contract (Graphics/Design: Day Design Editor, Night Design Editor; Digital Central: Calendar Editor) become exempt from all provisions of the contract.
+ 10 positions become exempt from the overtime provision but still are covered by all other provisions of the contract (Cartoonist, Sports Columnist, Public Service Columnist, Conversations Central Columnist, On The Town Columnist, IU Sports Beat, Motor Sports Beat, Pacers Beat, Colts Beat, Sports Special Projects Beat.)
+ On round trips of 100 miles or more, if an employee requests to use his/her own car rather than a company vehicle, the company will reimburse for actual fuel expenses only rather than the company's fixed mileage rate.
+ The paraprofessional job designation will cover calendar clerks, production liaisons and similar positions. Paraprofessionals may write stories of an uncomplicated nature.
+ Changes the length of time the company has to give another day off to employees whose regular day off falls on a holiday from two weeks to any day during the week of the holiday or the following 21 days.
In addition to these contract changes, the arbitration on behalf of seven members laid off in December, 2008, will be settled with each of the seven receiving a confidential monetary settlement from the company. The company has agreed to allow the grievances relating to the most recent layoffs in July to proceed. We are disclosing this amount in our information sessions, but not publicly.