a

B is for Birthday: After a year of service, full-time employees get their birthday off. Part-time employees get a pro-rated share of their birthday off.

C is for Comp Time: Some companies, instead of paying overtime, will allow employees to take time off at a later date, called comp time. Comp time is against the Guild contract. It you work over 37.5 hours in a week or 7.5 in one day (excluding the lunch hour) you must be paid overtime, double time if it is a holiday. Note that if you go on out-of-town assignments where you do not come back to Toledo for the night, you are to be paid 1.75 hours of overtime automatically. But the Company refuses to pay for any overtime worked beyond that

D is for Double Time: The rate you are paid for holidays. If you work on a holiday, check your pay stub to make sure you were paid properly.

E is for Equipment: With a few exceptions, (photographers/district managers/outside advertising sales) employees are not required to have a vehicle for the performance of their duties.

F is for Freelance: Work that is done for the Company outside of the Guild's jurisdiction. While some freelance work is acceptable, in many cases the Company abuses this to its advantage and infringes on Guild-covered work.

G is for Guild Shop: The Blade is a Guild shop, meaning all employees under its contract must become Guild members to be eligible for employment at The Blade.

H is for Holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day are holidays at The Blade. Employees working on those days receive double-time pay. Employees who work established night shifts and work the eve of the holiday receive double time for the entire shift. Any employee working a day shift whose workday carries him or her past 6 p.m. receives double time for the time worked past 6 p.m. Employees receive an additional one-half hour off on Martin Luther King Day.

I is for Information: See the Guild board for the latest updates on what's going on with the Guild. Ask your steward. And don't forget to attend the four quarterly meetings of the Toledo Newspaper Guild. Read the FYIs and the monthly Guild Update publication and our Web site.

J is for Job Differential: What you are paid above your normal rate for working in a classification other above your own. Example: If you are an A-5 and fill in for an A-3, you get the A-3's rate as long as you have worked more than half of the shift as an A-3.

K is for Kalniz, Iorio & Feldstein: The Guild's law firm. Employees can get many reduced-cost legal services such as for home closings and wills, etc.

L is for Leave of Absence: Any employee with five years of service may apply for a leave of absence not to exceed three months.

M is for Meetings: The board holds four general membership meetings each year and its executive board meets monthly. Please take the time to attend the general membership meetings. This is your opportunity to ask questions of the board in a formal setting, to learn what is going on at the company, and to give the board some feedback.

N is for Night Differential: If your schedule has you working at any time between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., you receive night differential, $6 per shift. You do not receive night differential if you are working overtime from a day shift.

O is for Overtime: Can't finish your work in the 7.5 hour day? Ask for overtime. If denied, leave the work until the next day or for the next shift. Under no circumstances do Guild members "work for free" or work "Comp time."

P is for Paychecks: Many times honest errors are made when computing pay. There are night and job differentials to be considered, plus a variety of deductions. It can get confusing. Take time to look at your check and make sure you are being paid properly. The Guild can help fix the problem if it is brought up quickly. You can also have your paycheck directly deposited to your bank.

Q is for Questions: You will have many about the Company, the Guild, and the contract. Your first resource is your steward. Please take the time to find out who your steward is.

R is for Rate of Pay: If you recently had an anniversary at the Blade and are not at top scale, make sure your rate of pay is correct. It is possible you went up a pay scale and are not being paid for it. If you filled in for a supervisor for more than half a shift, did your check reflect the added pay?

S is for Seniority: Seniority determines the order of vacations and in reverse order how layoffs will be handled. The person with the most seniority with a department generally gets the first pick at vacations. The person with the least seniority is supposed to be the first person laid off.

T is for Technology: You have the right to ask for additional training if you department adds technology and you do not feel like you received adequate training.

U is for Unfair Labor Practice: Unions file these charges with the federal Department of Labor when they believe the Company has violated U.S. labor law. An example might be when a company bargains directly with an employee instead of with the Guild, its legal bargaining agent.

V is for Vacations: They are determined by seniority and employees must turn in their requests for them in by April 1 or the Company can assign their vacation days to them. New employees note: You do not receive three weeks of vacation after one full year at The Blade. You receive a full three weeks when you complete one full calendar year. You receive a pro-rated vacation based on what you worked in the first calendar year of employment.

W is for Weingarten Rights: You have the right to ask for union representation when the Company calls you into a disciplinary meeting. You can ask for a union rep even if the meeting starts out as a "friendly evaluation" and then turns to discipline. But you must ask for representation.

X is for eXpenses: (OK, We're stretching a bit here): Expense reports are to be filed promptly. Do not let money owed to you by the Company accrue.

Y is for Your Union: Don't be one of those union members who complains about working conditions but doesn't offer solutions or work to solve problems. Don't expect a few union members to do all of the work. It's YOUR union and YOUR responsibility to be active and make The Blade and the Focus Federal Credit Union better places to work