Latest News | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA

TIME workers threaten to strike on release of TIME 100

Workers have signed a pledge to walkout on the launch of the magazine’s iconic TIME100 franchise if a fair contract is not agreed to by then.

The TIME Union announced plans for a one-day strike as their bargaining committee headed back into negotiations on Monday. Members have signed a letter to management announcing their plan to walkout on May 23, when the magazine releases its highly-anticipated annual TIME100, if a contract agreement is not reached by then.

BuzzFeed News Union members ratify first contract

Members of the BuzzFeed News Union voted unanimously on Friday to ratify their first contract.

“Several members of the union bargaining committee started at BuzzFeed making less than $40,000 a year,” they said in a press statement. “Today, we ratified a contract that sets a salary floor for union jobs at $60,000.”

Journalists at Bangor Daily News are unionizing

May 11, 2022 – Update: It’s official! Management of the Bangor Daily News has formally recognized the Bangor Daily News Union.

May 6, 2022 – Update: The Bangor Daily News “has indicated it will voluntarily recognize our union,” union members tweeted on Friday. “We know this is so because we effectively organized our co-workers and demonstrated strong solidarity,” they said.

May 4, 2022 – Newsroom staffers of the Bangor Daily News and Bangor Publishing announced Wednesday that they are unionizing with The News Guild of Maine, Local 31128.

“We choose to work here because we value an independent press, and because we are committed to reporting the truth about local governments, schools and institutions, and to telling the stories of Mainers,” they said in a press statement.

Condé Union: ‘The Met Gala’s sparkle comes from our sweat’

NEW YORK – Ahead of the 2022 Met Gala tonight, the Condé Nast Union released the following statement on behalf of the union’s Organizing Committee. In late March, workers first announced the formation of the union, which includes full-and part-time editorial, video, and production workers at Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Glamour, GQ, Self, Teen Vogue, them., Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Condé Nast Entertainment.

Newsletter: Packing bargaining to deliver a message

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Workers at the Chicago Reader took to the streets to save their publication. Last Tuesday they tweeted “We won,” after co-owner Len Goodman stepped down, ending his attempt to delay the publication’s transition to a nonprofit.

Journalism groups ask Pulitzers to require transparency on diversity

Update: April 29, 2022
Our request to the Pulitzer Prizes is really gaining traction! One week ago, more than 50 journalism organizations joined us in asking the Pulitzers to make reporting on newsroom diversity a requirement for award eligibility. More than 160 journalism groups are now supporting the effort.

We have asked that the Pulitzer Prizes plan to announce its intent on or before unveiling the 2022 awards on May 9, 2022. We pointed out that our appeal gives the Pulitzers more than a year to figure out the details of implementation and offered our support to help make this commitment a reality.

(Originally published April 22, 2022) This morning the Guild and more than 50 groups representing journalists across the U.S. called on the Pulitzer Prizes to make participation in an annual diversity survey a condition of eligibility for awards.

Last week Harvard’s Nieman Lab reported that just 303 of 2,500 print and online news organizations responded to a News Leaders Association survey, which has been collecting demographic data for more than 40 years. (The American Society of News Editors and the Associated Press Media Editors joined forces to form the News Leaders Association in 2019.)

Workers at the Reader win; publication freed to become a nonprofit

Workers and readers of the Reader, Chicago’s “free and freaky” alt-weekly, won a decisive victory Tuesday, when co-owner Len Goodman announced he was stepping down, clearing the way for the paper to transition to a nonprofit organization.

America needs stronger reviews of news company mergers

Gannett and GateHouse merged in 2019.

Alden Global Capital gobbled up Tribune Publishing in 2021.

Alden made a play for Lee Enterprises in 2022 – and may make another.

“Consolidation is killing local news,” said NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss. “We will continue to fight consolidation and we call on the federal government to review news industry megamergers by examining how they negatively impact workers, readers, communities, local reporting and U.S. democracy.”

Newsletter: Could a Pulitzer do it?

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First, I hope you have been staying safe! After about two years of avoiding COVID, I came down with it along with several others (in unrelated gatherings). The pandemic is still very much here. Please take steps to get vaccinated, boosted, test yourself regularly if you can and wear a mask if you’re around other people indoors. I luckily healed quickly, but know many who are still suffering from the lingering effects of the virus. So, please take care of yourself and each other.

Could the chance to win a Pulitzer motivate news organizations to be transparent about diversity – or the lack of diversity – in their newsrooms? That’s the question Meredith Clark, Sisi Wei, I and others have been asking for awhile.

Annual per capita adjustment takes effect in May

The NewsGuild-CWA Constitution mandates an annual adjustment of per capita dues locals pay to the national union, based on a formula in Article XVIII, Section 5. Beginning May 2022, the monthly per capita rate will be $23.86, an increase of 36 cents over the 2021 rate.