Teamsters Union officials say they are seeking quick action from the National Labor Relations Board in response to this week's firing of six more Santa Barbara News-Press reporters, who were accused by the newspaper's management of “disloyalty.”

Three reporters - Dawn Hobbs, Rob Kuznia and Barney McManigal - were fired Monday evening, while three others - John Zant, Thomas Schultz and Melissa Evans - were terminated Tuesday.

“We asked the NLRB for new urgency under the circumstances,” said union attorney Ira Gottlieb. “We'll go to federal court to ask a judge to reinstate these people immediately.”

NLRB agents will be in Santa Barbara today, taking statements from the employees, he added.

The firings came after a group of employees displayed a banner reading “Cancel Your Newspaper Today” from a bridge over Highway 101 in Santa Barbara during last Friday morning's rush hour.

The banner was reportedly put up in response to the firing of science writer Anna Davidson on Jan. 25.

Zant was the biggest name casualty on the list. The popular sports columnist and sportswriter, who once served as sports editor, has been with the paper 38 years.

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Schultz covered the community of Goleta; Evans reported on religion and social issues; Hobbs, covered crime and courts; Kuznia was the paper's education reporter; and McManigal covered county government.

Each received a letter from Associate Editor Scott Steepleton saying their terminations were due to “disloyalty” stemming from their involvement in the Friday protest.

The union and reporters contend that the demonstration was federally protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act.

Gottlieb assailed the firings as a “blatant, bare-knuckled attack” on the newsroom employees' rights under federal labor law.

“They engaged in collective expressive activity on behalf of their union, which is fully protected by the National Labor Relations Act,” Gottlieb said.

Not so, said Barry Cappello, attorney for the News-Press, who said the action was “specifically not protected by the NLRB.”

He cited a court opinion that an employee “cannot collect wages at the same time they injure and destroy the employer's business,” he said.

The newspaper has been in turmoil since last July when most of the top editors resigned over alleged newsroom meddling by owner Wendy McCaw. McCaw said she wanted to eliminate “bias” from news stories and also sought stronger local coverage.

As a result of the latest firings, the News-Press newsroom has been virtually decimated from some 15 reporters last June. Only two reporters remain on the local news staff: veteran Nora Wallace, who is stationed in Lompoc, and Leana Orsua, who joined the paper last fall.

Newsroom employees voted 33-6 last September to join the Teamsters union, though that election has been challenged by the News-Press. An NLRB hearing was held in early January and a decision is expected to be handed down shortly.

The newspaper will show up on doorsteps today despite the short-handed staff, said Cappello.

“Loyal employees who don't disparage it put out the paper every day,” he said. “The News-Press has been in publication for many, many years.”

February 7, 2007