Mountain Xpress: We’ve settled labor dispute

Jason Sandford June 3, 2014

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

The Mountain Xpress announced today that it has settled a labor dispute that was pending before the National Labor Relations Board. You can read the background here on the labor disputes, which involve former Xpress reporters David Forbes and Max Cooper.

From Xpress:

The charge regarding David Forbes’ termination was dismissed by the NLRB after a full investigation in which it found insufficient evidence to conclude that Forbes was terminated because of his union or other protected activities. Xpress terminated Forbes in April for taking copyrighted material belonging to Xpress and self-publishing it without authorization, and for publishing disloyal and damaging comments about Xpress, the publisher and the managing editor while employed by Xpress.

To resolve issues surrounding Cooper’s separation from Xpress, the paper entered into a confidential monetary settlement with Cooper and the union in which none of parties admitted to any wrongdoing and the union agreed to withdraw its charges.

Xpress resolved the other allegations regarding its handbook and an alleged unlawful statement by agreeing to modify provisions in its handbook and disseminating an official notice to its employees detailing their rights under federal law and the company’s commitment to those rights.

“Affirming and clarifying worker rights is good policy,” Mountain Xpress Publisher Jeff Fobes said.

Click over to read the full Mountain Xpress story.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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9 Comments

The Blunder Years June 3, 2014

I hate the Xpress, but it’s a right-to-work state. In all seriousness, he’s lucky he kept his job as long as he did. Show me another employer in this town or any other who’d tolerate one of their own openly and willingly shitting all over them in public with no retribution.

Reply
boatrocker June 3, 2014

Uh huh. Thanks, Davie. Your well-funded corporatocracy
(pop journalism du jour) makes everything look just like a big ol’ misunderstanding. Shucks- silly us. We (readers) just thought the Mtn X was crash landing for writing.

Poo poo on those writers who espouse workers’ rights!

Pucker up to kiss the new owners of the 4th Estate.

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Jimmy Mule June 3, 2014

Claiming that David Forbes was “taking copyrighted material belonging to Xpress and self-publishing it without authorization” when it was a piece by David Forbes himself that Xpress was too cowardly to publish is about as weasely as it gets.

Oh well…who cares about renters getting ripped off when theres yet another artisan deviled egg/moonshine joint opening on Haywood.

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1. journalist June 4, 2014
  
  I don’t have a dog in this fight, but have worked as a freelance writer for years I do have to correct you in that it wasn’t his piece to print, even if they didn’t want to. He was on staff, wrote it for them, and was most likely paid a kill fee if he was paid per article, or, if not, was making a salary for the production of work.
  
  He was obviously trying to get fired, and he did. I’ve heard various not so hot things about the working environment at the MX, but I can’t imagine someone with this low level of professionalism was improving anything.
  
  Reply
indie June 3, 2014

Forbes was never a reporter but an advocate masquerading as a reporter. Glad he’s gone. And if you can’t win before this heavily pro-union NLRB, you know the claim was nonsense.

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1. luther blissett June 3, 2014
  
  Stop the presses, everyone! indie has decided what counts as a journalist, and everybody else has to quit!
  
  I’m sure there’s room in that definition for ‘Which Million-Dollar Home Is On The Market This Weekend?’ in the C-T and ‘Behind The Scenes At Our Favorite Advertisers’ in the MountainX.
  
  Reply
  1. indie June 3, 2014
    
    Gee, Luther, maybe you can find a second grader to explain the difference between a reporter and a writer of opinion.
    
    Reply
    1. luther blissett June 4, 2014
      
      Golly jeepers, indie, maybe you can find a seventh grader to tell you what a false dilemma is and an EMT to remove the stick from your ass.
      
      Reply
      1. indie June 5, 2014
        
        No false dilemma, mi amigo. Advocate masquerading as a reporter. Now ex-reporter. Adios.
        
        Reply