Registration for delegates and alternates attending the first virtual Nominating Conference of The NewsGuild-CWA is now open. Locals can register participants from now until January 6, using the Sector Conference On-Line Registration (SCOR) system. Instructions for the registration system were emailed to local officers and staff.
The conference will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 7, 2023 on Zoom.
Continue reading “TNG’s Nominating Conference is in less than a month”
Workers at Reviewed.com have formed a union and are joining the Boston Newspaper Guild, a local of The NewsGuild-CWA.
A supermajority of editorial employees at Reviewed, part of the USA TODAY network—from writers and editors to our art, community, lab and operations teams—have formed a union. The Reviewed Union is part of the Boston Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA Local 31245.
The editorial team at Reviewed works together to publish some of the industry’s best product reviews and consumer recommendations. In other words, our job is to help you buy the best stuff and love what you’ve already got.
But that isn’t sustainable for us without better working conditions. Our colleague Joanna told us that “despite receiving glowing performance reviews and working above and beyond my job description, I’m not being compensated on the most basic of levels. This is one of many reasons I am standing with my colleagues to unionize; 50% of my net income goes to rent, or one entire paycheck. I’m one rent increase away from being forced to move out of state.”
We can’t do our jobs if we’re barely making enough to feed and house ourselves, but, in the face of record inflation and rent hikes, we’re told that basic COLA or annual wage increases can’t be guaranteed, that we’re losing our 401k matches, and that hundreds of our Gannett colleagues are losing their jobs.
Our staff has been organizing for months, and we are reclaiming our power to make Reviewed a better place. By forming a union, we will position ourselves to fight against wage disparities, expensive health insurance plans, unjust terminations, unclear in-person and remote working policies, a lack of editorial independence, and more. We’re organizing as workers for a more fair share of the revenue that we produce for Gannett every day, and to struggle against the unilateral austerity measures being imposed by Mike Reed and Gannett leadership which are impacting shops like ours around the country.
When we reach a collective bargaining agreement, we are confident that Reviewed will be a much better place for all of us–and that will be reflected in our editorial content, too. While you may enjoy reading our current reviews of the best air fryers or following our Amazon Prime Day coverage, imagine how much better our work would be if we received the competitive pay, benefits, and support that we deserve.
Our fellow worker Sara put it best. “Forming a union will help pave the way for not only a better Reviewed in the present but for years to come as well. A union gives everyone a seat at the table to have a say in creating a work culture centered on transparency and equity.” Kaleb told us that “Joining a union needn’t be reactive; it can also be proactive. I enjoy my role at Reviewed and I know others enjoy what they do, too. In order to make sure I can keep doing what I love no matter how the economy progresses, I am joining the union.”
We often hear about record profits and impressive reader engagement. While Gannett’s overall numbers are down year-over-year, we’re told that Reviewed remains a “Northstar” priority and a huge revenue driver, particularly because of our coverage of e-commerce events like Black Friday / Cyber Monday—and we are! We work nights and weekends to bring deals coverage and product reviews to our readers that drive millions in affiliate sales during the shopping season. This is money made from our hard work, but we workers do not reap the benefits of it. Instead, we receive pizza parties and pats on the back—barely consolation prizes compared to what we deserve.
With the help of our fellow NewsGuild members under Gannett and the support of each other, we believe that our union can empower and support every Reviewed worker to win a seat at the table. Our efforts are stronger together.
We are proud to join dozens of online and print media outlets who have fought to build a stronger, more supportive industry. Like those who came before us, we hope our efforts leave behind a legacy of worker solidarity and the strength we have when we organize. Workers united will never be defeated.
Now, we demand that Reviewed management voluntarily recognizes our union so that we can reach a fair and just contract for all of us.
For more information, check out our website at reviewedunion.org or email us at reviewedunion@gmail.com.
Let’s show striking NewsGuild-CWA members some love this holiday season!
Our members at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have been on strike since mid-October, and they’re still holding the line for a fair contract. Workers have created a new publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress, to share strike updates and community news, and they’re tweeting at @ThePUPnews. Consider contributing to their strike fund, or participate in #StrikeSanta! All the gifts listed were personally selected by striking workers in Pittsburgh and their families.
We also have members on strike in Fort Worth, Texas. Workers at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram walked out in late November over unfair labor practices by Star-Telegram owner McClatchy. Follow @FortWorthGuild for updates, and show your support by contributing to their strike fund.
Leaders of The NewsGuild-CWA, the largest union of journalists and media workers in the U.S., reiterated their concern over the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) and called on Congress to make sure labor protections and nonprofit newsrooms were part of any deal. The Guild also denounced Meta’s threat Monday to withdraw our members’ journalism from Facebook as a strong-arm tactic to avoid regulation.
The Guild represents about 17,000 media workers at more than 220 media organizations, from the New York Times, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer to the Idaho Statesman, Arizona Republic and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Much of the news industry has been consolidated in the past several years under chains controlled by hedge funds like Alden Global Capital (MediaNews Group/Digital First Media and recently Tribune Publishing), Fortress Investment Group (Gannett), and Chatham Asset Management (McClatchy). The Guild also represents journalists at not-for-profit controlled newsrooms such as the Center for Public Integrity, VT Digger and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Continue reading “America’s journalists want the JCPA to support journalism jobs, not hedge funds”
NEW YORK, NY — On Friday morning, unionized workers at The New York Times sent a pledge to company executives with over one thousand signatories that read, “We will walk out and stop work for 24 hours, on Thursday, Dec. 8, if we do not have a deal for a complete and equitable contract by then.”
Represented by The NewsGuild of New York, workers are demanding that the company start bargaining in good faith and are to do whatever it takes to finish this contract by the December 8th deadline. The Times Guild’s last contract expired in March 2021.
Continue reading “Over 1k New York Times newsroom workers pledge to walk out if contract deal is not reached”
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (December 1, 2022) — Jon Schleuss, president of The NewsGuild-CWA, released the following statement regarding Gannett’s announcement of layoffs:
“Local news is being murdered by firms like Gannett. The company insists there’s no other way, that the cuts are necessary to ensure that Gannett remains financially viable. Meanwhile, the same Gannett is burning millions on debt service, executive pay, stock buybacks and anti-worker lawyers. Gannett exists to feed Wall Street at the expense of workers, readers and subscribers. What Gannett fails to remember is that the company’s value was built by its workers and through the commitment and support of their readers. Gannett’s workers are fighting to return Gannett back to a local news company.
Continue reading “America’s journalists will continue to fight Gannett’s self-destruction and will fight to rebuild local news”
FORT WORTH — The Fort Worth NewsGuild is on strike, effective immediately.
Journalists at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram are the first in Texas and the first at a newspaper owned by McClatchy to strike. Members of the Guild decided to strike with an overwhelming majority of support — 91% of signed members — because of the company’s continued refusal to bargain in good faith.
Continue reading “Fort Worth NewsGuild members strike over unfair labor practices by Star-Telegram owner McClatchy”
Journalists at The Courier Journal, Kentucky’s highest-circulation newspaper, today secured a confident victory in their long-awaited union election. Eligible staff voted to certify the new Courier Journal Guild by a margin of 22 to 4. The Courier Journal Guild is part of the Indianapolis NewsGuild, TNG-CWA Local 34070.
Billy Kobin, Metro Government and Breaking News reporter, was one of many staffers to share his excitement after the election results were announced. “The outcome of the vote was never really in doubt, as I had confidence in our support and collective strength,” said Kobin. “But seeing the vote tally happen live was a welcome sight nonetheless. It’s time to keep the momentum going.”
Continue reading “Journalists at Louisville’s paper of record celebrate landslide union victory”
Online “strike paper” is part of an esteemed tradition
It’s rare for private-sector union members to go on strike these days. But it’s even rarer for journalists to walk off the job.
I remember occasionally bringing up the idea of a strike with fellow NewsGuild members when I was a reporter at The Monterey Herald from 2004 to 2014, but it always seemed like no one had the will or ability to make it happen. We had rent payments, mortgages, medical expenses, kids in college and so many other reasons that made the few dollars we’d receive in strike pay seem untenable.
Continue reading “Pittsburgh newspaper workers are making history”
Today The NewsGuild-CWA (TNG-CWA) responded to Standard General’s new FCC filing that attempted to rebut the detailed showing that TNG-CWA and the National Association of Broadcast Employees-CWA (NABET-CWA) submitted to the FCC after reviewing the hedge fund’s and related parties’ confidential filings. Standard General, backed by Apollo Global Management, is attempting to take over TEGNA’s 64 local TV stations.
TNG-CWA’s President Jon Schleuss said the following:
“Journalists are advocates for the truth and Standard General’s most recent attempt to brush off their repeated promises to bankers of station-level job cuts doesn’t pass our standards. Standard General repeatedly asserted on the record to the FCC that it ‘does not intend to reduce station-level staffing’ but its 12 major lenders apparently relied on Standard General’s financial projections showing just the opposite.”
Continue reading “FCC and DOJ have more than enough reasons to stop the Wall Street takeover of America’s local newsrooms”