Herald Examiner Employees OK 9% Hike Over 3 Years

Employees at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner have ratified a new three-year contract that includes a 9% raise, a dental plan and requires all employees to join the union within 18 months.

Herald employees, represented by Local 388M of the Graphic Communications Union District Council No. 2, approved the contract Thursday night by a vote of 182 to 31.

During the life of the contract, the top-scale minimum pay for reporters will rise from $520 a week to $567. Pay scales for other jobs, such as copy editors, press operators and drivers, were unavailable. The pay increases, which represented a compromise for both sides, will total 2% the first year, 3% the second and 4% the third.