NEW YORK – NewsGuild of New York-represented staff at ProPublica have won a first contract with the nonprofit investigative newsroom in a deal that gives staff up to 24% raises over the life of the agreement, mandates transparency around the use of AI, protects hybrid work, offers significant health-care savings and more.
The ProPublica Guild, which represents more than 150 reporters, video journalists, development professionals, copy editors and other staff, overwhelmingly voted to ratify their four-year contract on Friday.
“This contract is a major step forward for our members,” said Agnel Philip, a data reporter and unit chair of the ProPublica Guild. “What we won is a testament to our hard work and shows what we can achieve when we stand together.”
Ratified three years to the day since the union was officially recognized, the deal is the culmination of a campaign in which union members launched a petition and letter-writing initiatives that brought thousands of supporters into their fight, recorded and published testimonials from members, and staged a 24-hour strike, the first work stoppage in ProPublica’s history.
“It took a major fight to earn the fair contract that we deserve, but our members, our supporters and our unionized allies across the industry did not back down,” said Mark Olalde, an environment reporter and member of the union’s Bargaining Committee. “We will remain vigilant in enforcing this contract.”
Highlights from the deal include:
Wages
- 13-24% wage increases over the life of the contract and new salary floors starting at $75,000
- About 15% of unit members will receive individual raises, including local reporters and business-side employees, who are among the lowest paid, helping to remedy historical pay disparities.
Job security
- Just Cause protections that guarantee due process and representation should a worker face discipline or termination.
- Any member laid off will be placed on a 14-month recall list, one of the longest in the industry. Those on the list will be prioritized for job openings.
Hybrid work
- In-office work limited to two days per week, with management option to increase to three days in September 2029
Health insurance
- Locking in health insurance that saves members with dependents thousands of dollars every year.
AI
- Mandate to maintain an AI policy, which includes a commitment to transparency around AI use and human involvement in the implementation of any AI tools
- Creation of an AI committee where bargaining unit members will have a say in issues related to technology
“ProPublica Guild members deliver incredible journalism for the public good and have fought for and won a strong first contract that acknowledges the value of their collective work,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “This contract is life-changing for many of our members and will allow them to continue to produce the journalism that’s making a real difference at a time when readers need it the most.”
ABOUT THE NEWSGUILD OF NEW YORK
The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of the Communications Workers of America, is a labor union representing nearly 6,000 media professionals and other employees at New York area news organizations, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Reuters, The Nation, TIME, PEOPLE and Wirecutter. The NewsGuild of New York advocates for journalists to have a voice in the newsroom, for press freedom, for inclusive and diverse workplaces, and for just cause, no exceptions, for all media professionals.