With the recognition of GCIU 289M's contract and ratification of contracts by the two Teamster locals, the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions called off the subscription and advertising boycotts against Gannett's Detroit News and Knight Ridder's Detroit Free Press.

In a statement, officers of the six local unions that struck the News, Free Press and their joint operating agency, Detroit Newspapers (DN), in July 1995 in pursuit of fair contracts, thanked "the hundreds of thousands of people who boycotted the newspapers as well as provided economic and moral support for the 2,500 members of our six union locals. Labor unions, businesses, religious organizations and numerous other groups rallied to our cause and showed true solidarity with us as did many individuals, who at great personal sacrifice, refused to grant interviews to the papers.

"Your support allowed us to continue functioning as labor unions while publishing the Detroit Sunday Journal for four years, operating a food bank and prescription drug program for our members in need," the council said.

The council continued: "Because of your steadfast solidarity, we have survived this terrible ordeal and have obtained new collective bargaining agreements with the Detroit papers. Now, we must focus on rebuilding our locals and providing our members with as much support as possible. Hopefully, the Detroit newspapers will be successful in regaining the lost circulation, and, with their cooperation, the unions will be successful in getting all of the strikers returned to their jobs."

Detroit 289M Pres. Loraine McClure said DN officials notified her in mid-December that the company had decided to honor the agreement the local's members in prepress that was ratified on March 14, 1999. McClure said she in turn waited several days to sign the agreement until she was certain the decertification petition that had been orchestrated by DN "went away."

"I'm relieved that it's over," McClure said. "This contract is not what we would have liked, but it's been a strain on people. I'm hoping that circulation will build back up so our people can get back to work."

The two other locals that lacked agreements – Teamsters Local 372, which represents drivers and circulation employees, and Teamsters Local 2040, which represents mailers – voted to ratify contracts with DN on Dec. 17. Together, the two locals represented nearly half of the workers who struck the papers in 1995 and were locked out following their unconditional offer to return to work in February 1997.

The other three locals involved in the contract dispute reached agreements earlier. Detroit Typographical Union Local 18, Communications Workers of America (CWA), reached an agreement in February 1999. The Newspaper Guild/CWA Local 22 reached agreement Nov. 12.

Detroit 13N, which represents pressroom and plateroom workers and paperhandlers at DN plants, ratified an agreement on Nov. 5.

Despite the newspapers' and DN's refusal to immediately rehire all locked-out workers, Local 13N Pres. Jack Howe said, all the paper and plate members of his local at DN have been called back for full-time work. About 34 members in the pressroom are still on part-time, he said.

"My people went back inside like gangbusters and are working to make DN live up to the contracts," Howe said.

Howe also noted that 33 replacement workers have signed up to join Local 13N, and 22 of them already have been sworn in as GCIU members.

Howe said that community and religious leaders who supported union members so steadfastly during the contract dispute remain concerned about workers fired during the contract dispute and those not yet called back to work.

The latest audits showing that circulation for the News and Free Press has not improved, except for a slight increase in the combined Sunday issue, Howe said, demonstrates that "the community is still not real happy with these two newspapers."

Howe thanked all the GCIU locals and members who have helped during the 5-1/2-year contract dispute and continue to help. He said the assistance is greatly appreciated as the newspaper companies have not yet agreed to withdraw the RICO lawsuits they filed against the local unions and their leaders.

Because they are extremely expensive to fight, RICO lawsuits have earned a reputation as union-busting through the courts. Lawsuits filed under RICO, the original intent of which was to fight organized crime but which labor leaders charge has been turned into a management weapon to beat up on unions, can drag on for years, draining local union and individual labor leaders' resources.

"The GCIU is quite unique in that our brothers and sisters know that just because you sign contracts doesn't mean financial needs end," Howe said.