Hearing set for Monday in NLRB injunction request (Santa Barbara News-Press)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2008/03/08/news/breaking/breaking09.txt

By Times Staff
A federal judge has ordered attorneys to appear before him at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Los Angeles to argue for or against granting an injunction to force the Santa Barbara News-Press to re-hire eight fired reporters.

The quick court date comes on the heels of a Thursday filing by the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel against the News-Press. In that filing, the NLRB seeks an injunction that would force the immediate reinstatement of eight employees fired by the Santa Barbara News-Press, and other equitable relief, according to the union that represents the newspaper’s news employees.

A ruling from the court could come on Monday, the union said.

After a 17-day hearing last summer, Administrative Law Judge William G. Kocol recommended to the NLRB that all eight of the former employees be reinstated with full back pay. However, no action has been taken while the newspaper pursues appeals of the judge’s decision.

Labor troubles at the newspaper burst into public view in July 2006, when the five top editors and a longtime columnist quit over what they called owner-publisher Wendy McCaw’s inappropriate interference with objective news coverage.