Journalists at the Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.) have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement with McClatchy in balloting that was tallied Tuesday.
The entire unionization process, from organizing to ratifying, took the community newspaper less than four full months after they organized in May. The agreement, won with support from The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia, covers eight workers and boasts significant gains in pay and AI protections over the length of the agreement.
“We were highly motivated to start a union,” said Josh Moyer, one of the union organizers and a nine-year veteran of the news outlet. “Our two priorities involved fairer pay and AI protections and, thanks to the unions that came before us and fought for those same principles, we were able to reach an agreement in record time.
“This is an important day for the Centre Daily Times. And I can’t thank The NewsGuild enough for guiding us through the process and McClatchy for bargaining with us in good faith.”
Contract highlights:
- Greater AI protections, including the ability to withhold bylines on AI-assisted stories without penalty.
- A higher salary floor for full-time employees and increased hourly pay for interns.
- A minimum 7% increase in wages over the next three years, with the potential for additional merit increases.
- Greater transparency, such as the requirement employees be given at least 30 days’ notice of a major technological change.
Earlier this year several workers began discussing the prospect of unionizing after McClatchy rolled out an AI “tool” and other unionized journalists protested it. . Within a week of initial conversations, the entire staff was on board and contacted Bill Ross, the Philadelphia Guild’s executive director. Every worker signed a union authorization card, showing unanimous support to form a union.
Centre Daily Times’ union was formally recognized in June, and bargaining began in July. The contract was formally ratified in August.
“This all came together quickly, but it was still well thought out,” added Jon Sauber, a sports reporter at the outlet for seven years. “We were able to lean on both the PhillyGuild and our colleagues at other McClatchy properties that have done this before us. Without that critical assistance, we likely wouldn’t even be halfway finished right now.”