Feb. 22, 2018 – NewsGuild members at Thompson Reuters voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract in December, after three years of intense negotiations with management.
Under the terms of the new contract, Guild members received an increase of 2.25 percent effective Jan. 1, 2018, and will receive a 2 percent increase in each additional year of the contract. That’s quite an improvement over management’s initial offer: zero.
In addition, parental leave was doubled from six to 12 weeks and workers won premium pay for work hours beyond the normal workweek.
“We insisted throughout this fight that ‘we’re worth more,’ and this contract reflects management’s recognition of that,” said Dan Grebler, unit chair and Reuters desk editor.
Throughout the negotiations, union leaders mobilized members to demand a fair contract. In May, scores of members marched across their newsrooms to plaster their manager’s offices with red Post-it Notes conveying their unhappiness with management’s proposals. They also took weekly “wellness breaks” and yoga breaks to demonstrate to management the detrimental effects of its bargaining stance.