http://www.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-efj-call-for-global-fight-back-against-unfair-contracts

To mark World Copyright Day on Tuesday 23 April, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European group, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), are launching a campaign to fight against unfair contracts.

IFJ/EFJ have called on their affiliates to launch a global fight back against rights-grabbing contracts that demand journalists to assign their authors’ rights to publishers.

“Fair contracts are the guarantee for high quality and ethical journalism,” says IFJ President Jim Boumelha. “However, the spread of buy-out contracts strongly impacts on the quality of journalism as well as the livelihood of journalists.”

Rights-grabbing contracts, or “buy-out contracts”, demand that journalists sign all moral and economic rights over to publishers. These include the right to protect the integrity of their work, be identified as the author and to receive equitable remuneration when work is re-used. Buy-out contracts assign media employers a worldwide, exclusive right to use, reproduce, display, modify and distribute their work on all types of platforms, known or future. They also allow media employers to transfer the work to third parties without additional payment to the journalist. The EFJ has been collecting information about unfair contractual terms and conditions and found that major newspapers, magazines and broadcasters across Europe widely use these unfair contracts.

“We were appalled by the extent of unfair contractual practices in the media industry,” said Arne König, EFJ President. “Media organisations asked journalists, particularly freelancers, to assign their exclusive rights for multiple use of their works for small one-off payments.”

The IFJ has called on over 170 national affiliates to collect rights-grabbing contracts and share such samples to illustrate the case and put pressure on national legislators to end the unfair contractual practices. Journalists’ unions are also being encouraged to sign the Fair Trade for Creators petition.

“We also call on media organisations to end this practice by starting negotiation with journalists’ unions on collective agreements that include fair terms and conditions on authors’ rights,” stated Jim Boumelha.

Authors’ rights are protected by international law: Article 27 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights confirms everyone’s right to protection of “the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author”. The Berne Convention, in Article 6bis, reads that “Independently of the author’s economic rights and even after transfer of the said rights, the author shall have the (moral) right to claim authorship of the work and to object to any distortion, mutilation or other modification”.

“We call on national and European legislators to close the legal loophole and put an end to the unfair contractual practices,” demands Arne König.

You can find more information on the Campaign Against Unfair Contracts and bad examples contracts on this link: http://www.ifj.org/en/pages/campaign-against-unfair-contracts

For more information, please contact EFJ on + 32 2 235 22 00
The European Federation of Journalists is the European group of the International Federation of Journalists. It represents over 300,000 journalists in 37 countries.

On twitter, Karen Kelsky (@ProfesserIsIn) recently highlighted two job ads. Dalkey Archive Press wants full control over its new hire’s life:

The Press is looking for promising candidates with an appropriate background who…look forward to undergoing a rigorous and challenging probationary period either as an intern or employee…do not have any other commitments (personal or professional) that will interfere with their work at the Press (family obligations, writing, involvement with other organizations, degrees to be finished, holidays to be taken, weddings to attend in Rio, etc.)

Any of the following will be grounds for immediate dismissal during the probationary period: coming in late or leaving early without prior permission; being unavailable at night or on the weekends; failing to meet any goals; giving unsolicited advice about how to run things…failing to respond to emails in a timely way; not showing an interest in other aspects of publishing beyond editorial

In exchange for 24-hour availability, If you apply assume, “you will be one of the unpaid interns until you are ready to take on all the responsibilities of a position.” Offering advice or input are grounds for immediate dismissal as is taking vacation. There’s a reason Salon asked if this is the worst job posting ever.

Portnoy Publishing is unfortunately not hiring right now, but offered the following non-job ad:

For a start, we’d want to hire somebody who is willing to be paid for doing work. We realise this a novel (no pun intended) concept, but we feel it could revolutionise the whole industry. A person would come to work, do the work, and be paid for the work. They could then use that money for a range of things, such as food, rent, clothing and, provided they were fiscally responsible enough, personal entertainment or recreation.

The rest of the non-ad is well worth reading. Its closing highlights everything that is wrong with working for experience/exposure/networking or anything that’s not fair pay.

Portnoy Publishing believes that people who exploit those desperate enough to work for free just to get a foot in the door, regardless of the industry in question, ought to be ashamed of themselves.

We don’t give away our books for free, why should we expect people to work for nothing to help us make those books?

It’s become a common story. An experienced newspaper reporter frustrated with corporate ownership and the state of journalism leaves print behind for new ventures. Fictional journalists aren’t exempt from these challenges. Clark Kent, Superman’s alter ego, is leaving the Daily Planet.

However, his still-strong feelings for Lois, combined with Daily Planet editor in chief Perry White getting on his case for not enough scoops on the Superman beat and his boss’ boss Morgan Edge also giving him a hard time, leads to a Jerry Maguire-type moment where he quits in front of the whole staff and rails on how journalism has given way to entertainment — in a not-so-mild-mannered fashion. (The Daily Planet has also been moving more toward the real world, too, with the newspaper becoming part of the multimedia corporation Galaxy Broadcasting.)

For more than 30 years, the National Writers Union (UAW local 1981) has worked for the benefit of all writers. Everything we’ve accomplished comes from the collective power of our members, so we were quite excited when Blog Action Day announced this year’s theme would be the “Power of We.”

The Power of We is a celebration of people working together to make a positive difference in the world, either for their own communities or for people they will never meet half way around he world.

The union launched Pay the Writer to fight for writers in the digital age. I wanted to use Blog Action Day to talk about why this campaign is so critical. Working writers are struggling and it will take the Power of We to turn things around.

To understand the effects on writers, check out the story of an award-winning journalist, Christopher D. Cook, who recently applied for food stamps.

I’m part of what I call the privileged poor: the frayed white-collar class, growing by the year, of college-educated career professionals who are barely getting by, if at all. I make about $15,000 a year, sometimes less, working full time as a freelance writer, editor, and journalist. Everywhere around me (food, coffee, rent, public transit, the occasional bar drink) the numbers after the dollar signs go up—except for my income.

Established writers and artists are experimenting with new ways of generating revenue. Tom Tomorrow, author of This Modern World, explained the reasons for launching a subscription service:

As you may have heard, the newspaper industry has been undergoing some difficulties of late. As regular readers of this blog are aware, too many altweeklies have decided to save literally tens of dollars a week by cutting their most popular features — the comics.

Thanks to the internet, my cartoons are more widely read than I could have ever imagined possible, when I started out twenty or so years ago. But as my readership expands exponentially, my income remains in steady decline. I’m no economist, but that doesn’t seem sustainable to me.

This gap between readership and revenue shows why writers and their allies need to act. Online ad revenues are at an all-time high of $2.83 billion per month. While avoiding being a free user is a worthy personal goal, achieving fair pay will take the Power of We.

Join the National Writers Union, sign up for Pay the Writer and help grow the Power of We.

——

Here are some selections from NWU members and Pay the Writer activists taking part in Blog Action Day.

In “Craigslist or Slaves’ List?” RachelleN responds to yet another offer to work for “exposure”

   Would readers purchase magazines without articles in them? Would readers purchase newspapers without news stories? What about websites? What would they look like without content? The world needs writers and professional writers should be paid a decent salary. What do you think? I think a line has to be drawn between hobby writers and professional writers.

Linda Neas reflects on first-hand experiences with the Power of We, around the world and in her community

One of the most touching and enlightening moments for me this year, was attending the annual swearing in of new citizens on the lawn of the courthouse in Northampton, MA.  Many of those in attendance were affiliated with CNA [Center for New Americans], either as clients or students.  I was so moved by the ceremony and the stories shared of hardships overcome and lives changed.

Yael Grauer offers seven tips for successful online fundraising based on her recent experience raising financial support for Children of the Night

After all, one way to make a positive difference is by providing those in the trenches with the financial means to facilitate change.

John Brady, a Registered Nurse, tells the story of how nurses at his hospital ran a successful organizing campaign in response to sharp cuts

So two years ago we decided to band together, to use the Power of WE.
Facing strong administration opposition but with the support of our governor, representatives, senators, other labor unions, and the community, we voted and became the Backus Federation of Nurses, a local of the American Federation of Teachers.
We are in our infancy as a local, but we have already seen what solidarity can do.

Mary K. Doyle issues a call to action to join the Power of We

We have the power to right wrongs, protect the innocent, and raise the living conditions of the needy. Each individual voice must speak up and contribute toward the chorus.

There is no We without you.

Eugene shared his reflection on rationality

So called serious thinkers, when discussing global warming, will say that “clean coal,” nuclear power, natural gas or bio-fuel are practical energy sources. It is pointed out to them that not only are all of those forms of energy unsustainable but they are, in varying degrees, dangerous. They are also advised that the safest sources of energy are, solar and wind and that those two sources are also totally sustainable.

The so called serious thinkers respond. “Yes, solar and wind are safe and sustainable, but they are too costly.” What they are saying in effect is, “If it’s going to cost a lot of money to save the planet, it would be better to let the damn thing die!’ Of course, neither they nor we, will luck out.

UPDATE: 

Virginia Spatz shared an inspiring example of a community working together to overcome divisiveness

 But, across town and beyond, when I express regret that the ads might be understood as Jewish attacks on Muslims, my Muslim brothers and sisters just shake their heads with a “we know” that encompasses all who know better than to fall for it. Sorry, AFDI, no “they” here. The “power of we.”

What does “The Power of We” mean to you?

Monday, October 15, is the sixth annual Blog Action Day, when thousands of bloggers from around the world will write “about one important global topic on the same day.” Past topics like the environment and poverty sparked important conversations between writers around the world.

This year’s topic, “The Power of We,” deeply resonates with the National Writers Union’s more than 30-year history of fighting for writers. From winning more than $1.5 million in unpaid wages for our members to our Pay the Writer campaign focused on fighting for writers in the digital age, our victories are built on the collective power of our membership.

We invite NWU members and Pay the Writer activists to join us on Monday, in blogging on “the Power of We.” If you’d like to participate, please let me know via e-mail (ptw@nwu.org) or twitter (@paythewriter) and also register with Blog Action Day.

We began Pay the Writer to fight back against corporate exploitation of unpaid labor. The Huffington Post’s ability to massively profit off of bloggers writing for exposure has inspired countless imitators. The spread of the unpaid blogging model isn’t the only challenge writers face. Downward pressure on wages has lead to some truly shameless pay rates.

Yesterday, Gawker found one of the most egregious job postings ever. The anonymous publisher has since pulled the add from craigslist. Someone’s shameless enough to ask for the following, but shies away when people take notice. Here are the job requirements:

If you wish to apply for this job, please email us regarding your experience, education, days and hours you wish to work, and about how many 500 word articles you can complete each day/week. Also, please follow the instructions below to write a sample article so that we can judge your ability to follow instructions, write, and to get a feel for your voice. Please also brainstorm a list (see details bleow) of topics so that we can judge your creativity and ability to come up with content independently. Attach your application assignments to your email. We will not respond to applicants who do not include the sample assignments. Feel free to attach any other work and/or links to work, but these other works cannot serve as a replacement for your sample.

Application Assignments:
Find a current news article regarding background checks and use it to write one 500 word news article in your own words. Please paste the link of your source into the bottom of your article. Use Calibri Font size 11, with a Bolded Size 14 title. Please also bold the following keywords used in your article: background check, background checks.

AND

Come up with five potential article titles/topics that focus on increasing social network fans/followers.

For all of this work, they offer between .009 and .02 per word. When we say Pay the Writer, we don’t mean fractions of a cent.

As David Berreby recently argued: “you can’t get journalism if you aren’t willing to pay for it.”

Pay the Writer is good for writers. It’s good for readers. Quality content, produced by fairly paid writers, is good for publishers.

The National Writers Union and the Pay the Writer campaign are excited to present an evening with Steven Greenhouse, labor reporter for the New York Times. Along with Greenhouse’s presentation, Pay the Writer will provide updates on its campaign to defend writers in the digital age.

Since 1995, Greenhouse has reported on labor and workplace issues for the Times. His 2008 book “The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker” won a 2009 Hillman Prize, which recognizes investigative reporting and storytelling that serves the public interest.

The National Writers Union launched Pay the Writer in 2011 following AOL’s purchase of the Huffington Post for $315 million.

When: Friday, October 5, 7:00 P.M.

Where: NWU Office, 12th floor, 256 W. 38th. St., New York, NY

Refreshments will be provided

Please RSVP:

https://www.facebook.com/events/394631893923200/

Please share the invitation with friends. If you’re on facebook, you can invite friends through the link. Please share this e-mail with anyone who might be interested in the event.

Questions: Andrew Van Alstyne, ptw@nwu.org

As the Romney campaign continues its slow-motion implosion, only Arianna knows why:

So, adding up the clues, it seems the culprit in the killing of Romney’s chances just might be mind-numbing sleep deprivation among senior campaign advisors.

Arianna: wake up and pay your writers!

The National Writers Union/UAW Local 1981, extends our strong support to the 30,000 members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in their struggle against the Board of the Chicago Public School System and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

A battle has been raging in this country to replace public education with for-profit charter schools.  This has been pushed by both the Republican and Democratic parties, as reflected by Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan’s support of Democratic Mayor Rahm Emmanuel in this fight.

The CTU has taken a brave stand, supporting students and teachers against this corporate attack.  We support the teachers’ demands for:

• An evaluation system that is based on what the teachers can control;
• Resources for teaching (160 schools have no libraries);
• Recall rights for laid off members (who are often laid off because of working in “under-performing” schools, having nothing to do with their skills or performance),
• Additional support staff (social workers have caseloads of 1,000, and most schools have no nurse),
• A promised pay increase to cover the extended work day imposed by “Mayor 1%.”

NWU members have walked the picket lines with you; we’ve leafleted for you; we’ve joined in your demonstrations. We know the importance of a good union, with a democratically-elected leadership that has a vision of how the world can be, rather than merely dreading what it has become.

We extend our support and offer our writing skills to the courageous leadership and members of the Chicago Teachers Union, Local 1 of the American Federation of Teachers.  Your struggle is our struggle.  You can count on us to help you beat back the attack on public education, and set an example for the entire US labor movement!

In Solidarity!

Larry Goldbetter

President                                                                                                                                                          

National Writers Union/UAW Local 1981