Category: Gannett

Newsletter: Journalists have receipts

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That’s the message to Gannett CEO Mike Reed on the subject of unpaid overtime at the nation’s biggest news chain.

We launched an investigation after members first tweeted about the practice inside Gannett and a top editor tweeted, “Every business exploits the young – it’s called gaining experience, and I don’t regret it one bit.” He later added, “Prove yourself and they’ll pay you.”

In my email to Reed, I let him know about the investigation and urged him to launch his own investigation, end the culture of exploitation and agree to the common-sense contract proposals advanced by journalists at Gannett.

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Gannett CEO must investigate unpaid overtime and end ‘culture of exploitation’

NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss has called on Gannett CEO Mike Reed to investigate allegations that employees are frequently expected to work overtime without pay and has called on him to end a “culture of exploitation” at the nation’s largest news chain.

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Journalists at Gannett’s Hudson Valley NY Publications Win Union Vote in a Blowout

The journalists of three Gannett-owned publications in New York state’s Hudson Valley voted 32 to 4 to join The NewsGuild of New York Local 31003 in an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. The new unit covers approximately 45 people at The Journal News, Poughkeepsie Journal and Times, and Herald-Record. Votes were tallied on Friday.

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Newsletter: This Gannett boss thinks working for free builds character

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There is some big U.S. legislative news this week: the jobs tax credit in the Local Journalism Sustainability Act made it into the House Ways and Means Committee recommendations for reconciliation. This means it has a very good chance of becoming law.

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Newsletter: Supporting Afghan journalists and rallying for local news

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The NewsGuild and four other media unions urged President Biden to support journalists, support staff and families who are desperately trying to flee Afghanistan in a letter sent on Aug. 23.

“We have watched the rapid deterioration of the situation inside Afghanistan with great concern for everyone involved,” we said. 

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Workers at Asbury Park Press, Home News Tribune, Courier News are Unionizing

The APP-MCJ Guild is the fourth Gannett group to organize with the NewsGuild of New York this year.

Journalists at the Asbury Park Press, Home News Tribune and Courier News announced Aug. 19 that they are unionizing. With more than 70% of eligible staffers signed on, the APP-MCJ Guild has requested voluntary recognition from Gannett management, which own the publications. They will become part of The NewsGuild of New York Local 31003.

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Newsletter: A lawyer oopsie, a work stoppage and more wins

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Hundreds of New York Times tech workers held a work stoppage last week to protest management’s attempts to prevent about one-third of tech employees, including product designers and data analysts, from voting in their upcoming election on union representation. They also protested other unfair labor practices, such as management illegally asking workers their views about unionizing and saying that workers would get more from management if they stopped organizing. I was fired up speaking to the workers at their rally Wednesday. These workers are innovating the future of journalism and they deserve a voice in their workplace!

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Digital Producers at the Atlantic Digital Optimization Team Win Union Vote

Digital Producers at the Atlantic Digital Optimization Team voted to be represented by The NewsGuild of New York Local 31003 in an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board that concluded Wednesday. The 21-person unit consists of digital producers across five states that make up Gannett’s Atlantic region.

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Newsletter: Not just a wave; it’s a movement

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This week sort of exploded with two major press freedom issues around the world.

A major investigation by Washington Post journalists and many others exposed an operation by a private spyware company that has been hacking into the phones of journalists around the world. Activists, politicians and journalists were found on a list of more than 50,000 targeted phone numbers. It’s an expansion of a disturbing trend by authoritarian regimes that are suppressing dissent by targeting journalists. I was proud to bring our union back into the International Federation of Journalists last year. The group of large journalism unions quickly condemned the targeting of journalists. We stand with them and journalists around the world condemning the spying and suppression of free speech.

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Victory! NLRB rules: Raises must be restored, back wages paid to NBC News Digital employees

The National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of the NewsGuild of New York on Thursday, deciding that NBCUniversal acted improperly in June 2020 when it rolled back wage increases it had granted to NBC Digital employees.

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