Guild members featured in report on building power to win strong contracts

A new report by union organizer Jane McAlevey and researcher Abby Lawlor provides an inspiring and practical guide to mobilizing workers’ power to win good collective bargaining agreements and features case studies of two recent NewsGuild battles. 

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Kansas City Star journalists announce union organizing campaign

Journalists of the The Kansas City Star took a major step Monday toward forming the Kansas City News Guild. Members of the union organizing committee presented local management with the request for voluntary recognition after a majority of eligible staffers signed cards signaling their support.

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NewsGuild Sends Second Letter to Tribune Publishing Shareholders

The NewsGuild-CWA sent a second letter to the top shareholders of Tribune Publishing on May 6, which points out that Tribune’s earnings suggest that the company has been sufficiently profitable that it need not be purchased. (The Guild posted the letter on the SEC website as well.)

The letter also links to a May 6 Washington Post article that casts aspersions  on the ability of Alden Global Capital to come up with the cash to buy the company.  

NewsGuild to host special screening of new documentary, News Matters

The NewsGuild will host a special screening on May 13 of News Matters, a new documentary by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Brian Malone about the 2018 rebellion at the Denver Post against Alden Global Capital. 

Guild members can register for the exclusive showing here.

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NewsGuild-CWA issues letter to Tribune shareholders urging a NO vote on Alden takeover

The NewsGuild-CWA filed a letter to shareholders with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, urging a “no” vote on hedge fund Alden Global Capital’s attempted takeover of Tribune Publishing.

Instead of seeking the best value for Tribune shareholders, the Guild’s letter states, Tribune’s board “excessively focused on a rapid approval of Alden’s proposal, even though a potentially superior offer as well as continuing independent operation present higher value alternatives.”

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NY Daily News Union wins in a blowout

The journalists of the New York Daily News won union recognition in a blowout on Friday, voting 55-3 to form the Daily News Union, a unit of the NewsGuild of New York.

After a year of organizing, they’re eager to get to the bargaining table. And as the newest unionized paper of the Tribune Publishing chain, they will immediately be drawn into the fight against a takeover by Alden Global Capital.

Follow them on Twitter @NYDNUnion or visit their website, NYDNUnion.com.

Tribune could take on massive debt to finance its own takeover

Cash-strapped and banished from its luxury offices, Alden Global Capital has crafted a Faustian bargain to buy the publisher

This article first appeared on DFM.workers.org on April 28, 2021.

Alden Global Capital says it can buy Tribune Publishing with surplus cash on hand, but the former New York hedge fund’s merger agreement with Tribune appears to contradict the claim.

Doubts about Alden’s ability to purchase Tribune with cash are reinforced by a costly U.S. Department of Labor investigation, mounting lawsuits over broken lease agreements, and a stealthy exit from the top floor of Manhattan’s glamorous Lipstick Building to an unmarked virtual office in South Florida.

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Study shows pay disparities for women and journalists of color as high as $27,000 at Gannett

A first-of-its-kind pay equity study of 14 Gannett newsrooms reveals stark pay disparities for women and journalists of color and a workforce whiter than the communities they cover.

The study of nearly 450 employees, conducted by NewsGuild-CWA members, also shows that unions make a difference. Unionized newsrooms with pay scales in their contracts had significantly smaller gender and racial pay gaps than newly organized units with no contracts yet in place, the report shows. With more than 250 publications, Gannett is the largest newspaper chain in the country.

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