May 7, 2018 – In a stunning victory for workers, the publisher of the Chicago Tribune has agreed to voluntarily recognize the union.
“We did it. In response to the overwhelming strength of our newsrooms, Tronc agreed this weekend to voluntarily recognize the Chicago Tribune Guild,” union organizers wrote to their co-workers on Sunday, May 6.
The rare weekend agreement came after Guild organizers submitted union cards showing that upwards of 85 percent of the reporters, editors, designers, photographers, columnists and other employees of the Chicago Tribune favor union representation.
“This is an extraordinary development that has evolved quickly,” organizers wrote.
“In the face of pernicious corporate influence on our industry, we need a better way to advocate for our work, protect the future of our and the next generation’s journalism careers and strengthen our coverage of Chicago and its suburban communities. We also know this is only the first step.”
The agreement calls for Tronc, the publisher of the Chicago Tribune, to recognize three new bargaining units of approximately 235 employees:
- Chicago Tribune and RedEye, an entertainment and cultural publication affiliated with the Tribune;
- Suburban publications: The Beacon-News, Daily Southtown, Elgin Courier-News, Naperville Sun, and Hoy, and
- The newly-created Design and Production Studio
“It is a notable reversal for Tronc, historically known in various corporate iterations for its hostility to organized labor,” David Folkenflik wrote for NPR.
“Historically, the Tribune and its corporate owners took a strong stance against unions at the paper and in society more broadly,” he noted in April.
Tronc’s resistance to a union organizing drive at the Los Angeles Times resulted in a landslide vote in favor of the union, and less than three weeks later, the company announced it would sell the Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The January union victory at the L.A. Times was quickly followed by successes at several smaller outlets: The Casper Star-Tribune in February, Mic.com in March, and the Missoula Independent and The New Republic in April.
“There is a rebellion brewing in newsrooms around the country,” said NewsGuild-CWA President Bernie Lunzer. “The journalists of the Chicago Tribune reflect that.
“Their fate and the fate of their publications is in their own hands,” he said. “Workers are demanding quality journalism and quality jobs.”