About 200 members met behind closed doors for about two hours before the vote. Local 22 President Lou Mleczko said about 60 percent had approved the offer, but he said there was no exact count because they raised hands.
Mleczko said many members disliked the idea of an unconditional offer, but wanted to show solidarity with the four other locals that have made offers and a fifth that is expected to. The Guild is the only union whose bylaws require an affirmative vote to make an offer.
"It's another strategy to get a contract," Mleczko said. "We think this is the latest, best economic pressure we can put on the company - and legal pressure."
Detroit Newspapers Inc. Vice President Susie Ellwood called the vote "absolutely" good news. Detroit Newspapers, which runs business and production operations for The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, says the strike will be over if the newspapers accept offers from the six striking locals.
The decision to make the offer was made by three international union presidents - Ron Carey of the Teamsters, Morton Bahr of the Communications Workers of America and James Norton of the Graphics Communications International Union.
The three internationals cover five of the six locals, and Guild Local 22 is in the process of affiliating with the CWA, said Nancy Dunn, a spokesperson for the unions.
Four of the six locals have already made their offers. Mleczko said the Guild likely will submit its offer today.
The Graphic Communications International Union, or pressmen's union, is also expected to submit its offer, possibly as soon as today, said Carol O'Neal, a striking Free Press plate worker who attended a meeting of Local 13N on Sunday in Warren.
"There's no way in hell they want this (offer) unconditional, but they knew it's a new strategy, so they accepted it reluctantly," she said.
The pressmen's local president, Jack Howe, did not return telephone calls Saturday or yesterday.
Newspaper officials have five days to respond after all the offers are submitted. But disputes, including whether the strike is over unfair economic practices or economics, are expected to drag on for months in the courts regardless of what the newspaper does.
Ellwood declined to say whether the newspapers would accept the unions' offers.
If the newspapers reject the offer, the unions say they will ask the National Labor Relations Board to seek a federal injunction to immediately return them to their jobs.
Rejecting the offer also could begin the accrual of back pay for striking workers - if the newspapers later are found to have committed unfair labor practices. An administrative law judge is expected to rule on that matter in coming months, and appeals are likely.
Ellwood said that if the newspapers accept the offer, they would hire striking workers as jobs become available. She said the newspaper would set up procedures for the hirings in conjunction with the unions.
But Mleczko said he would view reinstatement of only some striking workers as a rejection of the unconditional offer and ask to have the NLRB seek a federal injunction to immediately reinstate all striking workers.
NLRB regional director William Schaub also said he would view it as improper if the newspapers took back only some workers. He said he would consider seeking a federal injunction to reinstate all workers - even if it wasn't sought by the unions.
Schaub has ruled that the newspapers committed unfair labor practices, but that ruling is under appeal.
Ellwood said the papers now have 600 fewer benefit-eligible employees than they did when the strike began. Newspaper officials have said they do not intend to displace any of the 1,300 replacement workers to make room for strikers.
About 430 of the 2,500 who walked out already have returned to work.
Ellwood said that newspapers would consider about 400 workers ineligible for rehiring: the roughly 100 who resigned, 100 who retired and 179 who were fired.
Of the rest, it's unclear how many want their jobs back.
Dunn said strikers are willing to fill jobs even if only a few are available. But she said the unions will not consider the strike finished until all striking workers who want a job get one and are working under a contract.
The unions have pledged to continue protests and advertising and circulation boycotts.
About 30 strike supporters held protests yesterday outside of what they thought were the homes of Ellwood and Senior Vice President for Labor Relations Tim Kelleher.
But Mike Zielinski, an organizer with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said the protesters learned after they arrived that the executives had moved. Police reported no arrests.