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Happy New Year!
2021 was a bang-up year for NewsGuild union organizing. Journalists, staffers at nonprofits and employees of publishing houses stood up in record numbers and demanded a voice at work. In all, 2,128 new Guild members won union recognition at 42 new workplaces last year.
But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Continue reading “Newsletter: Have you seen this video?”
There’s no denying it: 2021 was a bang-up year for NewsGuild union organizing. Journalists, staffers at nonprofits and employees of publishing houses stood up in record numbers and demanded a voice at work.
In all, 2,128 workers fought for and won union recognition at 42 new workplaces.
But the numbers don’t tell the whole story. NewsGuild members embraced a new sense of empowerment, engaging in increasingly militant actions when management stalled, violated labor law or refused to bargain. 2021 was the year of workers demanding more respect and NewsGuild members played an active part.
Continue reading “Wrapping up a record year with workers unafraid to strike”
Dozens of Florida journalists rallied outside five Gannett-owned newspapers across the state on Monday, seeking support for fair contracts and for local news. The events were the first coordinated action among the state’s unionized Gannett papers.
Union members stood on busy street corners near their offices, holding signs, making noise, and talking to passersby about the crisis facing local news: extremely low pay, staffing that’s insufficient to properly cover their communities, a push toward regional – rather than local – coverage, and unending rounds of cutbacks.
Continue reading “Florida journalists rally for local news, fair contracts”
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First! We’ve got a couple job openings at the Guild international. The first is for a staff representative, who would play the role of director of collective bargaining. This position has been vacant since Melissa Nelson retired in 2018. This person would review contract language and be a clearinghouse for organizing the trends happening across the Guild’s collective bargaining program and keeping folks coordinated. It’ll be a huge asset to our locals, who have asked for more support.
Continue reading “Newsletter: Happy StrikeMás!”
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Staffers at Wirecutter are planning a walkout during Black Friday week if the company continues to slow-walk bargaining. The New York Times Co., which owns the product review site, has failed to provide necessary information to negotiate wages. At the same time, the Times is rolling in money: Wirecutter has added 10,000 paid subscribers and the company is sitting on about $1 billion in cash. The company sends union-busting attorneys to the table and has offered guaranteed annual raises of just 0.5%.
Continue reading “Newsletter: 1,000+ workers are in public campaigns to unionize with the Guild”
Journalists at three Gannett-owned publications in central New Jersey voted to be represented by The NewsGuild of New York Local 31003 in a vote supervised by the National Labor Relations Board that concluded on Thursday.
Staffers at the Asbury Park Press, Courier News, and Home News Tribune said they voted to form the APP-MCJ Guild to save local journalism from corporate owners. “It’s time to return local journalism to the people,” they said.
Continue reading “The newest Gannett Guild: ‘It’s time to return local journalism to the people’”Subscribe to the Guild’s newsletter here.
Did you notice the new logo at the top of this email? I unveiled the new design at our Sector Conference last week to rave reviews.
The design, which was selected by our Executive Council, is forward-looking while paying tribute to our proud history. Several features — the unblinking eye, protective shield, radiating lines — are adapted from logos we used decades ago. They symbolize the watchdog role and illuminating effect of journalists and media workers.
Continue reading “Newsletter: A watchful eye”Subscribe to the Guild’s newsletter here.
This Saturday we’ve got the 2021 NewsGuild Sector Conference. It’s our biennial conference where elected delegates set policies for our union, pass resolutions, amend our constitution and nominate officers.
Because of the pandemic it made sense to move this year’s conference to a virtual one and it will get started at 10 a.m. ET Saturday. I expect about 100 folks from all over the NewsGuild to attend. This year’s primary agenda will focus on some major changes to our constitution governing our elections. These proposed improvements will make sure that every member gets notified of their ability to be eligible to vote and that members get ballots delivered by mail until the U.S. Dept. of Labor allows electronic voting.
Continue reading “Newsletter: Constitutional improvements in front of Saturday’s Sector Conference”
Gannett call-center employees settled a class-action lawsuit for $650,000
Journalists at the nation’s biggest news chain are rejecting the company’s denials of widespread unpaid overtime.
And they’re not alone. Just last week, a U.S. District Court approved a $650,000 settlement of a class-action lawsuit by Gannett call-center employees who worked overtime without pay. The suit was filed in July 2019 and had a class of 95 people. Gannett initially denied that they engaged in any unlawful or improper conduct, just as they are currently denying such behavior toward their journalists.
Continue reading “Gannett journalists reject company denials of widespread unpaid overtime”
Complaint Alleges Gannett Management Threatened Workers’ 401k Matches for Supporting Union Organizing Efforts
The NewsGuild of New York has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board over Gannett union-busting tactics designed to derail the local’s organizing efforts. The complaint details how managers threatened adverse consequences, including loss of benefits, if they supported the union organizing effort.
Continue reading “NY Guild files Unfair Labor Practice charges against Gannett over union busting”