Journalists of the The Kansas City Star took a major step Monday toward forming the Kansas City News Guild. Members of the union organizing committee presented local management with the request for voluntary recognition after a majority of eligible staffers signed cards signaling their support.
The Kansas City News Guild will represent 40 journalists and will become part of the United Media Guild local of The NewsGuild-CWA. The new unit “will give accountability, mission-driven journalists a voice in their own workplace,” organizers said in a statement.
“We think it’s important for those who produce The Star’s content to have a collective voice in helping set the agenda for the area’s largest news source,” said reporter Mike Hendricks, one of the longest-serving members of the staff. “We’re part of this community and want to see The Star and Kansas City continue to thrive.”
“The union will make the paper better for readers by fighting for a safe, diverse and vibrant newsroom that will be here for years to come,” organizers said.
“Most of all, we want a voice in the future direction of the company.” McClatchy, the Star’s owner, filed for bankruptcy last year and the publicly held company was sold to its largest creditor, Chatham Asset Management.
Chatham told the bankruptcy judge the new, privately owned McClatchy would not make job cuts its first year. But cuts have already taken place in parts of the company, union organizers said. “Some of those changes might not have happened had our union had a seat at the table.
“We’re uniting to protect the future of The Star, whose journalists work tirelessly to keep our city and region informed,” said reporter Luke Nozicka, who has been on staff for two years.
Follow the organizing campaign at The Kansas City Star on Twitter at @KCNewsGuild. Visit the website, kcnewsguild.org.