Featured | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA

NewsGuild to Lee Shareholders: Reject Alden’s ‘Vote No’ Campaign

The NewsGuild-CWA is urging shareholders of Lee Enterprises to rebuff the latest moves by Alden Global Capital to take control of the company.

In a March 1 letter, NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss urged “fellow shareholders” to vote for three nominees to the board of directors recommended by Lee’s current board — and to reject a campaign by Alden Global Capital against two of them, Mary E. Junck and Herbert W. Maloney III. Alden’s campaign against Lee’s candidates follows a February ruling by the Delaware Chancery Court rejecting Alden’s attempt to nominate its own candidates for the board in violation of Lee’s bylaws.

60 Minutes tells a story we know well

60 Minutes’ final segment on Sunday evening featured NewsGuild member Evan Brandt: “For the last 24 years, he’s chronicled this community of 23,000 for the local newspaper, the Mercury, which at one time had dozens of reporters. Now, Brandt is literally the last reporter standing in Pottstown,” correspondent Jon Wertheim said.

Journalists of Charlotte Observer are unionizing

Update: On March 2, 2022, The Charlotte Observer News Guild tweeted, “We’re thrilled to announce that @theobserver has voluntarily recognized our union. The Charlotte Observer News Guild is ready to work for the needs of our journalists, and we’re excited to move forward together with management.”

Workers at ECU are unionizing

Update: March 9, 2022: Members of End Citizens United Staff Union won voluntary recognition from management of the nonprofit organization on March 8. They are part of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild Local 32035.

Workers at End Citizens United/Let America Vote announced Friday that they are unionizing. The organization’s core mission is to ensure that everyone has a voice and the freedom to participate in our democracy.

Grist Union wins voluntary recognition

Workers at Grist received voluntary recognition of the Grist Union on Thursday after a neutral third party confirmed that more than 90 percent of employees had signed union cards indicating their desire to organize. They will become part of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild Local 37082. Grist is a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories about climate solutions and a just future.

When a hedge fund’s shell game backfires: Lee strikes back at Alden after courtroom victory

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on SaveLocalNews.org on Feb. 18, 2022.

In a stunning Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Lee Enterprises took a big swing at Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund attempting a hostile takeover of the news chain.

Alliance for Justice Union members vote unanimously to ratify first contract

Members of the Alliance for Justice Union voted unanimously Feb. 15 to ratify the first union contract in the organization’s 43-year history. They unionized as part of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild in March 2020 and began negotiations six months later.

Aaron True, a member of the union’s three-person bargaining committee, said workers made significant progress on their three top priorities: salaries – especially for junior workers – health insurance and protections against discrimination. They also won improvements in leave, work hours, remote work and other benefits.

One of the Most Influential Black Journalists You Probably Never Heard Of

In honor of Black History Month, check out One of the Most Influential Black Journalists You Probably Never Heard Of, a podcast episode that tells the story of Marvel Cooke, a crusading Black journalist who organized one of the first chapters of the Newspaper Guild. She reported on labor and race until she was pushed out of journalism by redbaiting.

Journalists win $825,000 and reforms in lawsuit brought by Minnesota ACLU, CWA, NewsGuild

A federal judge has approved a settlement that prohibits Minnesota State Patrol from attacking or arresting journalists and awards $825,000 to several who were assaulted and injured while covering protests over the police killings of George Floyd and Daunte Wright in 2020.

Journalists of Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald launch work-to-rule campaign

After two years of bargaining, the journalists of Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald have had enough. Today they launched a work-to-rule campaign, declaring, “Our members will work the hours and roles we were hired for and nothing more.”