Religion writer, The Seattle Times
(Macdonald is one of about 40 Times reporters who is not honoring the picket line. Her husband, John Macdonald, is the paper's travel editor.)
EVENT: Newspaper Strike
Why are you crossing the picket line?
"Well, I never left in the first place. But I believe no offer was going to be good enough for the [Pacific Northwest Newspaper] Guild. They started out with impossibly high demands for there to be meaningful negotiations. They were asking too much in salary increases." [The guild asked for an average of $1.08 increase per hour every year for three years. The Times offered an average of 55 cents per hour every year for six years. The guild asked for a 401(k) match to be negotiated. The Times did not offer any match.--Eds.]
How do you feel about the fact that you may benefit from the strike in the form of a better contract, without having supported the strike?
"That does not compute. I'm likely to benefit for being a longtime employee and a good employee. A strike isn't the way to handle the situation."
What do you say to your colleagues who are striking?
"There are people who are striking that I have been friends with for years. I've been here for 23 years. I've called them to say I love them. They've called to say they love me. We don't talk philosophy anymore."
What's your philosophy?
We don't have to talk about it. I'm doing what I think is right. So be it.
