Long-term no-strike contracts were signed, offering productivity incentives for some employees, like press workers.
His paper, he felt, was bleeding from a thousand cuts in the form of repeated slowdowns, whether by typesetters, press workers or truck drivers.
Mr. Kelleher said most workers would receive raises of 2percentt a year under the three-year contracts signed by the Teamsters locals, the Newspaper Guild and the press workers.
The cluster of the assorted press, workers, officials and general hangers-on was as impressive as the 9-5 that would flash on the board at race time.
Two unions, the typographers and the photoengravers, approved a new contract in 1999, while two others, the press workers and the Newspaper Guild, reached a settlement last month.
Productivity -- workers' output per hour -- has risen steeply in recent years as computer technology and other innovations have allowed businesses to press workers to do more tasks in the same amount of time.
And many companies say they are in a bind because if they press workers on their documents they are accused of harassing immigrants and accused of civil rights violations.
While disappointed with the failure of card check, union leaders argued this would still be an important victory because it would give companies less time to press workers to vote against unionizing.
