Newspaper Unions Offer to Return to Work

Leaders of the unions on strike for 19 months against Detroit’s two main daily newspapers made an unconditional offer Friday to return to work, calling it a legal maneuver, not a surrender or end to the strike.

But company executives said that if all six striking unions follow through on the unconditional offer, the strike would be over.

“They can’t have it both ways,” said Susie Ellwood, vice president of Detroit Newspapers Inc. “It’s sort of like being slightly pregnant. You are on strike or you are not on strike.”

Detroit News Editor and Publisher Robert H. Giles and Detroit Free Press Publisher Heath Meriwether both expressed relief that the strike appears to be “officially over.”

“This is a day that we’ve all looked forward to, and we hope it means the beginning of a time when we can begin to put the pain and the hostility of the strike behind us,” Giles said.

The unconditional offer raises the stakes for the newspapers because it could start the clock ticking for back pay if they refused the offer and the strike eventually was deemed the result of unfair labor practices by management.

“We’re launching a strategy that will increase our power and strengthen our leverage to get a fair contract,” said Al Derey, chairman of the umbrella organization for the six striking unions. “Today, the Teamsters and other unions made an offer as required by law to reclaim our jobs at both papers.”

But some of the strikers condemned the offer, which was made by three international union presidents. Daymon Hartley, a member of a union faction that favors more visible action, said most strikers are not ready to give up.

“The vast majority of strikers feel this would be devastating to their families and devastating to the labor movement,” Hartley said.

Derey said written offers to return to work would be presented to the companies by each of the six striking locals by next week. Ellwood said offers from three of the locals had been received by Friday night.

“If and when we do receive offers from all six striking unions and accept them, then this strike is over, no matter what Mr. Derey says,” Ellwood said.

Six locals representing about 2,500 workers--ranging from truck drivers and printers to reporters and editors--walked out on July 13, 1995, at the two newspapers, which have combined business and production operations under a joint operating agreement.

The newspapers have continued to publish using about 1,300 replacement workers, strikers who returned to work and managers.

The Free Press is owned by Miami-based Knight-Ridder Inc., the News by Arlington, Va.-based Gannett Co.