Newspaper Union Oks Back-To-Work Offer

A striking union that represents reporters and editors at Detroit’s daily newspapers approved an unconditional offer Sunday to return to work.

About 60 percent of 200 members of Newspaper Guild Local 22 approved the offer, union President Lou Mleczko said.

Leaders of Local 22 and five other unions announced the offer on Friday. So far, four unions have told the newspaper company they have accepted the offer.

The Guild and the sixth union are expected to notify the company soon. The Guild was the only union whose members had to vote on the offer.

Some 2,500 employees at The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press went on strike in July, 1995, to protest working conditions and low salaries. About 430 have returned.

The newspapers have hired 1,300 replacement workers and say they will not displace them with returning employees.