Category: News

On Thursday, the employees of ProPublica won voluntary recognition of their union, the ProPublica Guild. The union — which secured support from 97% of eligible staff members — is wall-to-wall, covering editorial, business and operations departments at the largest nonprofit newsroom in the country.

“This is a momentous day for ProPublica. We look forward to writing a strong collective bargaining agreement that will help set the standard for newsrooms throughout the industry. We are immensely proud to join together in solidarity with our unionized colleagues to fight for a better future for newsroom employees everywhere,” graphics editor Lucas Waldron said. 

Continue reading “ProPublica Guild wins voluntary recognition”

Canadian Media Guild (CMG) members at TVO have spoken, providing a strong strike mandate to their bargaining team: 95.8% of members have rejected their employer’s latest offer and indicated they are ready to strike if necessary. This is a strong mandate. It does not mean we are currently on strike, nor have we set a date to walk out. We are still hoping to negotiate an agreement and avoid a strike. But our message to TVO and the Ford government is clear:

Continue reading “CMG members overwhelmingly reject TVO’s latest offer and are ready to strike”

Journalists and media workers have unionized in the United States at a record pace. At the same time news companies have cut jobs, putting the country’s democracy at risk.  

The NewsGuild-CWA, a sector of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), seeks a campaign lead to channel the energy of our members, community supporters and policy stakeholders into winning legislative initiatives that support the follow demands:

Common Good Demands

• Staff that is Adequate in Number – Hiring: In the last decade thousands of papers have shut their doors and half of all journalist jobs have disappeared. Existing newsroom staff have been cut to the bone and current workers are doing too much with too little – at Gannett outlets media workers are producing top-tier journalism in lowest-tier conditions. Gannett must immediately increase hiring into newsrooms across the country and make real a commitment to local journalism and local journalists.
• Diverse in Perspective – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: In-depth, committed local news coverage requires newsrooms that have a diversity of views, cultures, and perspectives. As Gannett hires across the chain it must seek to create newsrooms diverse in perspective and skilled in navigating the communities being covered.
• Developing Expertise in Craft – Sustainable Jobs: Gannett must commit to sufficient compensation to enable media workers to live and thrive in the communities they cover. The sustained deep and vital connections required to produce in-depth local news, the experience and training that feeds that growth, can exist only if media workers have secure jobs and fair compensation. Additionally, media workers must be afforded the benefits and paid-time off that support healthy work-life balance.

The position is initially slated to last a year but is subject to possible extension.

The ideal candidate will have experience running multiple organizing campaigns with professional workers. They will have the organizational and strategic skills necessary to inspire and activate workers to take action.

The position will report to The NewsGuild-CWA leadership and the CWA Organizing Director, coordinating regularly with senior campaign leads. The position can be based anywhere. It is currently remote but will involve regular travel once it is safe to do so.

Job Qualifications:

• Willing and able to take regular direction and learn from experienced campaign staff
• Willing to commit, energy, heart and long, irregular hours
• Ability to learn and implement the campaign basics
• Be able to take notes, listen and get information/report back to campaign leadership to evaluate campaigns
• Ability to assess workers’ support of the campaign, identify potential committee members, move workers to make concrete commitments and take action, recruit people to a committee, facilitate committee meetings, work with groups.
• Understand and discuss issues in a way that contribute to the momentum of an organizing campaign.
• Have a fundamental commitment to building a diverse and democratic labor movement and ability to organize workers from diverse backgrounds and demographics.
• Willing to attend an Organizing Institute
• Basic communications skills, able to do basic flyers and other written material
• Strong social, written and verbal communication skills
• Motivated self-starter able to learn and troubleshoot without heavy supervision
• Driver’s license and reliable car, must be able to travel to work locations away from home/office location.
• 1-2 years (2 years preferable) of prior labor, political or community organizing experience
• Patient in pressure situations and savvy with conflict management
• Bilingual, a plus

Responsibilities when employed in an Organizing campaign:

• Ability to assess
  support of the union or campaign, identify potential committee members, move workers to make concrete commitments and take action, recruit people to a committee, facilitate committee meetings, work with groups
• Understand and discuss issues in a way that contribute to the momentum of a campaign
• Utilize numerous organizing tactics including home-visiting, cold phone
  calling, hand billing, etc.
• Have a fundamental commitment to building a diverse and democratic movement and ability to organize workers and citizens from diverse backgrounds and demographics
• Along with campaign leadership, be able to work effectively with committee members
  • assist with moving campaigns to stage 3, i.e., an NLRB election or voluntary recognition campaign
  • keep the organizing committee on track
  • motivate them to move through roadblocks and be public when it is time
  • give them a realistic assessment of progress and inoculate them
• Work with the local to help identify and encourage others in local to participate in organizing campaigns and build support for organizing
• Along with the District Organizing Coordinator, be able to help develop and implement a local organizing plan
• Submit reports as required, but at least monthly
• Must be able to work on projects to build the local, but also be able to assist in national and district organizing projects.
• Be heavily involved in major National and District Organizing Priority campaigns
• Capable of running campaigns with minimal
  assistance, motivate and dig out committee members, work in a team with other organizers involved in the campaign
• Be able to communicate effectively in writing, in speaking, and via electronic media.  Be able to work with data bases, able to do basic flyers and other written material
• Able to function as a trainer at an Organizer Institute and train organizing committee members
• Work with locals on National and District priority campaigns and help local organizers
• Travel to work locations away from home and work location by car and plane to locations as needed
• Computer skills that allow at least intermediate-level data management and communication

Job Specifications

Compensation: $73,617.07-$93,413.08/year depending on experience with an excellent benefits package.

The NewsGuild-CWA is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages applications from candidates who would expand the diversity of the Guild staff.

Contact:
Anna Reed / anna.e.reed@gmail.com / (402) 212-5901
Sandra Tan / santan716@gmail.com / (716) 390-7233

The Unions of Lee Enterprises, which represents unionized Lee newspapers across the country, is devoting this week to raising awareness at the local and national level about harmful strategies being taken by our parent media company. #LeeUnionsRaisingAwareness

Last week and this week, all but the largest-circulating newspapers in the Lee Enterprises newspaper chain began cutting print circulation to three days a week, with all print papers being delivered via U.S. mail. Meanwhile, Lee papers large and small continue to be subject to deep cuts to newsroom staffing and the outsourcing of local work to out-of-state and foreign hubs.

The coalition is issued a statement, coordinating local public awareness campaigns and making its union leaders across the country available for interviews. 

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The Unions of Lee Enterprises represents all unionized NewsGuild members at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; The Buffalo News; the Omaha World-Herald; the Richmond Times-Dispatch; the Roanoke Times; the Billings Gazette; the Casper Star-Tribune; the Sioux City Journal; the Charlottesville Daily Progress; the Kenosha News; The Daily News in Longview, Wash.; and the Southern Illinoisan. Follow the Unions of Lee Enterprises on Twitter @LeeUnions.

Lee Enterprises is a media chain based in Davenport, Iowa. It owns daily newspapers, as well as nearly 350 weekly and specialty publications in 26 states, according to its website.

Media Contact: Addy Baird, addy@nyguild.org, 801-368-5867

Fifteen years after ProPublica published its first investigation, employees of the award-winning, nonprofit investigative newsroom announced today that they were forming a union, the ProPublica Guild. The announcement comes as a slew of newsrooms have organized and, increasingly, won major material gains for members.

The ProPublica Guild announced their wall-to-wall unit with 90% support across the business and editorial sides of the newsroom. On Wednesday, members requested swift recognition of the ProPublica Guild from ProPublica President Robin Sparkman, Editor-in-Chief Stephen Engelberg and members of the masthead. The ProPublica Guild will be represented by The New York NewsGuild, CWA Local 31003.

Continue reading “ProPublica workers form a union and join the Guild”

122-0.

Amazing. Simply amazing.

In a historic vote, members of the Dallas News Guild who work at The Dallas Morning News approved a new 3-year contract.

It took almost 900 days of bargaining with Dallas Morning News executives. The negotiating sessions concluded several weeks ago, after a long day of mediation. Both sides finally came together.

Continue reading “Journalists at Dallas Morning News ratify first contract”

Following longest digital media strike in decades, Insider workers win $65k salary floor, significant healthcare cost reimbursements, no layoffs through end of 2023

NEW YORK – After a two-year fight for a first contract and a 13-day ULP strike – the longest digital media strike in history – members of Insider Union today announced that they have reached a tentative agreement with management, including settlement of a ULP related to management’s unilateral changing of workers’ health care coverage. The approximately 250 members of Insider Union are represented by The NewsGuild of New York.

The three-year agreement, which must be ratified by Guild members to go into effect, includes huge wins for unionized workers at Insider, including:

• A wage floor for union members of $65,000;
• Immediate raises of 3.5% for the vast majority of union members, followed by 3.75% raises in 2024 and 3% raises in 2025;
• Layoff moratorium through the end of the year for union members;
• Just cause, no exceptions, from day one of employment;
• A commitment of more than $400,000 in healthcare cost reimbursements over the course of the agreement.

“The deal we won today shows the power of solidarity,” said Dorian Barranco, a member of the Insider Union bargaining committee. “We came together and refused to settle for anything less than what we were worth, and our collective power won a contract that will resonate in newsrooms across the country. It’s never an easy decision to go on strike, but today’s victory proves it was well worth it. We’re excited to get back to work with our new wins in hand.”

In April 2021, more than 300 employees at ​​Insider announced they had formed a union of workers across editorial, including reporters, editors, video producers, and designers. Insider Union was officially certified by the National Labor Relations Board the following June after workers voted 241-14 in favor of unionization.

In November 2022, the Guild filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Insider with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the company unlawfully changed workers’ health care coverage. In May 2023, the NLRB found merit with the union’s ULP.  

In April, members of Insider Union held a one day walkout four days after the company proposed laying off 60 union members. As part of settling this contract, the Guild bargained for many of the initially proposed members to remain in their jobs, and members who were laid off received an enhanced severance package.

The union’s campaign culminated with an open-ended ULP strike that began on June 2. During the strike, the White House weighed in to support workers, saying in a statement that “all workers deserve a voice in the workplace, and journalists are no different.”

“Being on the picket line and experiencing the power and solidarity we have as workers is going to stick with me forever,” said Daisy Grant, an Insider Union member. “The $65,000 salary floor we won as a union will be life-changing for me, and I know it will be for all the early-career journalists that come after me too.”

Once ratified, the Insider Union agreement will be the latest in a wave of NewsGuild contracts that are resetting industry standards. 

It comes on the heels of another major victory by The New York Times Guild, which ratified a groundbreaking new contract that also includes an immediate $65,000 salary floor. The 1,500 members of the Times Guild are also represented by The NewsGuild of New York.

“There is power in a union, and this tentative agreement with Insider reflects the power of this unionized newsroom. Insider management may have thought that their union-busting would break our solidarity, but instead, we’ve become stronger. We’re redefining what journalists can expect to win in the workplace. I am inspired by the courage of our members at Insider Union. They’ve demonstrated–quite literally on a picket line–that when workers come together and fight for their worth, anything is possible. Especially a strong contract!” said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York. 

On Thursday, more than 370 workers in the Los Angeles Times newsroom sent a letter to management calling out the company’s attempt to lay off 74 workers, including 57 Guild-covered workers on the copy desk, web desk, photo desk, production desks and elsewhere. Leaders from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and the Latino Journalists of California CCNMA quickly jumped in and called out Times’ management.

Your handling of this proposed layoff sends a clear message to the newsroom: You don’t care about the contract, and you don’t care about us.

We’re willing to do whatever it takes to win the contract that this newsroom deserves. You should be too. Starting now, we need to see a senior newsroom leader at every bargaining session — not just observing, but participating. Show us that you want to make progress. Show us that you care.

L.A. Times Guild letter to management

Journalists, part of the Media Guild of the West TNG-CWA Local 39213, were in negotiations with management over the attempted layoffs Thursday. Several leaders pointed out that the layoffs predominantly targeted journalists of color.

Continue reading “NAHJ, SPJ, AAJA, CCNMA join L.A. Times Guild in decrying management’s attempt lay off workers, including many journalists of color”

Late Thursday the White House offered support for NewsGuild-CWA members who have been on unfair labor strikes across the United States in recent days. Hundreds of workers have been on strike at different outlets including Insider, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and two dozen Gannett newsrooms.

In a statement provided exclusively to the Insider Union’s strike publication Business Outsider, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre threw the administration’s support behind recent newsroom unfair labor practice strikes breaking out in local newsrooms and digital outlets.

Continue reading “White House stands with striking Guild members at Insider, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Gannett”