NEW YORK—Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, New York City council members James Sanders Jr. and Margaret Chin, and President of the Newspaper Guild of New York, Bill O’Meara, called on the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) to halt tax breaks requested by Thomson Reuters as the company failed to meet up job creation it promised a decade ago.
Thomson Reuters belongs to the Canadian owned Thomson Corporation who purchased news agency Reuters in 2007. Currently, the two companies operate separately under the same name.
In 1998, the NYCIDA granted Thomson Reuters, at that time named only Reuters, a bill of $26 million to reconstruct its headquarters on Times Square as the company promised to create jobs for New Yorkers.
However according to the Newspaper Guild of New York, Thomson Reuters split the tax breaks and transferred to other offices in New York. Members of the Newspaper Guild who are also employees of the news agency experienced salary and other benefit cuts, which became unreconcilable problems in the long term. The organization has brought these issues to the federal court, and has so far won every single case against Thomson Reuters.
“Quite simply, the company is trying to get rid of the union. They will not succeed,” said O’Meara.
Thompson Reuters has so far received only $2.4 million in tax breaks and has recently requested to reallocate the remaining $23.6 million from the NYCIDA.
“Looking at what’s happening to our economy, looking at what´s happening to government budgets everywhere, we’ve got to get more return for investment,” de Blasio said in a speech given at the rally. “We need more transparency. We need more accountability.”
However in a letter sent by Thomas Glocer, CEO of Thomson Reuters to de Blasio today, Mr. Glocer claimed that the Guild failed to make a substantive counterproposal after Thomson Reuters made a proposal to reconcile a year ago. In fact, the company requested a bill from the NYCIDA that was already granted. He further mentioned that the guild “never made a proposal for wages and benefits, two of the core issues of the negotiations,” and that the NYCIDA is not the right department to handle labor disputes.
As one of the world’s leading media, Reuters provides its journalists the highest salaries in New York City. According to Mr. Glocer, Thomson Reuters remains positive and hopeful to reconcile with the Newspaper Guild.
Thomson Reuters belongs to the Canadian owned Thomson Corporation who purchased news agency Reuters in 2007. Currently, the two companies operate separately under the same name.
In 1998, the NYCIDA granted Thomson Reuters, at that time named only Reuters, a bill of $26 million to reconstruct its headquarters on Times Square as the company promised to create jobs for New Yorkers.
However according to the Newspaper Guild of New York, Thomson Reuters split the tax breaks and transferred to other offices in New York. Members of the Newspaper Guild who are also employees of the news agency experienced salary and other benefit cuts, which became unreconcilable problems in the long term. The organization has brought these issues to the federal court, and has so far won every single case against Thomson Reuters.
“Quite simply, the company is trying to get rid of the union. They will not succeed,” said O’Meara.
Thompson Reuters has so far received only $2.4 million in tax breaks and has recently requested to reallocate the remaining $23.6 million from the NYCIDA.
“Looking at what’s happening to our economy, looking at what´s happening to government budgets everywhere, we’ve got to get more return for investment,” de Blasio said in a speech given at the rally. “We need more transparency. We need more accountability.”
However in a letter sent by Thomas Glocer, CEO of Thomson Reuters to de Blasio today, Mr. Glocer claimed that the Guild failed to make a substantive counterproposal after Thomson Reuters made a proposal to reconcile a year ago. In fact, the company requested a bill from the NYCIDA that was already granted. He further mentioned that the guild “never made a proposal for wages and benefits, two of the core issues of the negotiations,” and that the NYCIDA is not the right department to handle labor disputes.
As one of the world’s leading media, Reuters provides its journalists the highest salaries in New York City. According to Mr. Glocer, Thomson Reuters remains positive and hopeful to reconcile with the Newspaper Guild.
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