St. Paul Guild

   Guild negotiators will resume contract talks with Pioneer Press management on Oct. 15-16.
   The negotiations will be the first since the parties met on Sept. 29 and agreed to expedite talks, with a goal of reaching a tentative agreement this month.  The Guild bargaining committee wants to use the expedited talks to narrow the broad list of issues now on the table.
   Committee members met Oct. 4 and will meet again Oct. 8 to discuss Guild bargaining priorities.  They're working from a list of key issues identified by the membership in small group meetings and written surveys done earlier this year.
   The committee will provide an update on negotiations after the second day of talks on Oct. 16.
   Guild activists, under the leadership of reporter Mara Gottfried, continue to work on preparations to support the campaign for a fair contract.  Please contact Mara if you're interested in volunteering to help the campaign.
   If you have questions or concerns you'd like to relay to the bargaining committee, please talk with your Guild contact, a unit officer or any member of the Guild bargaining committee.  The committee members include Alex Friedrich, Meggen Lindsay, Julie Forster and Jim Ragsdale from the newsroom; Duane Maxson and Lance Forys from circulation; Dave Noble from advertising; and Marilyn Clements and Darren Carroll from the Guild office.