Meet Hil O’Connell, the Guild’s newest organizer

I’m thrilled to announce that Hil O’Connell has joined our union as the latest organizer in the Guild! Before joining us on staff, Hil was a TNG member organizer — part of a program with dozens of Guild activists who help mobilize current members and organize new ones. They were also part of the successful effort to unionize AccessMatters, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia that promotes reproductive and sexual health. 

I talked with Hil and we wanted to share our conversation so you could get to know them.

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Canada’s Cineflix workers to get $2.5M in deal negotiated by unions

Hundreds of current and former workers at “factual TV” company Cineflix will share $2.5 million in a deal to settle a class action lawsuit negotiated by CWA-Canada, The NewsGuild’s Canadian affiliate, and IATSE Canada. (“Factual TV” is known in the U.S. as “reality TV.”)

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After two years of contract talks, journalists at Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald, Bradenton journalists stage one-day work stoppage

Journalists at the Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald and the Bradenton Herald held a one-day work stoppage on April 1 to demand a fair contract and to insist that McClatchy, the publications’ parent company, respect unionized journalists.

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Proposed Apollo/TEGNA transaction raises serious questions

Recent reports about the proposed acquisition of U.S. broadcaster TEGNA, Inc. raise serious legal and policy questions that the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice will have to address.

First, is this deal going to result in further erosion of local journalism?  

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NewsGuild urges public pension funds to divest from Cerberus

The shadow bank’s legacy includes controversial investments, lawsuits and financing the destruction of local news

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared on SaveLocalNews.org on March 31, 2022.

Citing a New York shadow bank’s dual track record of “funding gun violence and death” and the destruction of local news, the NewsGuild-CWA is urging two of the nation’s largest public pension funds to divest from Cerberus Capital Management.

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Buzzfeed News workers voted overwhelming to authorize a strike on March 29, 2022.

BuzzFeed News Union votes overwhelmingly to approve a strike amidst announcement of newsroom cuts

The union slams news of cuts as regressive bargaining, plans to strike if management continues bargaining in bad faith. 

Members of BuzzFeed News Union announced Tuesday that they have voted overwhelmingly to authorize the bargaining team to call a strike if management continues bargaining in bad faith. The vote was taken during the afternoon bargaining session. The unit represents 61 members and is part of The NewsGuild of New York Local 31003. Ninety percent of the unit participated in the strike vote, with 91% voting to authorize the bargaining team to call a strike. 

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Workers at Conde Nast on March 29, 2022

Condé Nast employees form company-wide union covering 500+ workers, call for voluntary recognition

Union represents editorial, video, and production workers across all Condé Nast’s brands that haven’t already unionized, including Vogue, Bon Appétit, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, and GQ

Workers slam Condé Nast for low pay, lack of diversity and equity, heavy reliance on contract workers, and absence of clear standards for performance evaluation and career development

In a major step forward for workers organizing in the media industry, employees of Condé Nast’s editorial brands and Condé Nast Entertainment announced Tuesday the formation of Condé Nast Union, demanding voluntary recognition from management. 

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BuzzFeed News Union to management: The era of unilateral decisions is over

Following the announcement Monday from BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti that the company plans to drastically shrink its news division and offer voluntary buyouts to employees, the BuzzFeed News Union, represented by The NewsGuild of New York, released the following statement:

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