• January 17, 2004

The Independent Association of Publishers' Employees, Local 1096, the union representing about 1,900 employees of Dow Jones & Co. and its Factiva venture with Reuters, Saturday said a majority of its members rejected a proposal for a new three-year contracted that would have slashed their health benefits and which would have provided for wage increases that failed to keep pace with inflation. The vote marks the first time Dow Jones's primary union voted to repudiate a contract proposal on which they were asked to vote. The union includes not only Wall Street Journal and Barron's reporters but also a wide variety of other Dow Jones employees. The union urged Dow Jones' management to "promptly" resolve the dispute, but did not state whether its members would execute a labor action.