Newsletter: Some Guild campaigns need your support 

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I attended the Austin NewsGuild’s negotiating session last week via Zoom, where the bargaining committee presented their economics proposals.

I was so proud of the committee and the amazing journalists who gave testimonials. In true Gannett fashion, the management representatives expressed empathy and appreciation for the speakers, but after a 40-minute caucus, returned empty-handed.

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U.S. Capitol

America’s journalists want Congress to prioritize saving jobs, not hedge funds 

The NewsGuild-CWA is calling on members of Congress to improve the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act so that it protects local journalists and strengthens local reporting. The bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote.

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U.S. Capitol

15 NewsGuild local leaders implore Senators: Improve journalism bill to ensure that funds are spent on journalism

Fifteen NewsGuild local leaders called on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to improve the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act to ensure that publishers spend the money they derive from the bill on journalism.

In a Sept. 7 letter, the NewsGuild local presidents and unit chairs pointed out that there is no such requirement in the legislation as currently drafted. The committee is set to mark up the bill on Thursday.

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Newsletter: NYT performance reviews show bias; Guild loses a good soul

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An analysis by members of the New York Times Guild published last week reveals stunning racial disparities in performance evaluations of Guild-represented employees by management at the New York Times.

The study found that being Hispanic reduced the odds of receiving a high score by about 60%, being Black cut the chances of high scores by nearly 50%, and being Asian lowered the odds of a high score by about 35%. In 2020, not a single Black employee received the highest rating, while white employees accounted for more than 90 percent of the roughly 50 people who received the top score.

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U.S. Capitol

Bargaining bill for news companies still needs improvements

A revised version of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act still needs significant improvement, NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss says.

The revised bill, introduced yesterday by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and a bipartisan group of senators, would give news companies the right to bargain collectively with Google and Facebook to recoup revenue the social media giants have diverted from news organizations. 

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Guild and others challenge Standard General’s attempt to takeover local news broadcaster and cut jobs

The NewsGuild-CWA, NABET-CWA, the United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry and Common Cause again challenged Standard General’s continuing efforts to take over local news broadcaster TEGNA in a Monday filing before the Federal Communications Commission. 

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Ad from Home News Tribune with text, 'One-third of newspapers are expected to be gone by 2025. Help us make sure this isn't one of them.'

Newsletter: Our companies are lobbying for billions. Journalists deserve a piece.

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Did you see the ads and editorials starting last week calling for the passage of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act? The News Media Alliance, which lobbies for news publishers, launched a blitz to pass the bill, which would give news companies collective bargaining rights to negotiate fees from Google and Facebook. 

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The White House

NewsGuild to Biden: Stand with journalists and reject local news takeover

The Biden administration has a clear choice: It can stand with journalists and the American people or it can stand with anonymous foreign investors and Wall Street mega-funds, The NewsGuild told the president in a July 25 letter.

The Department of Justice and agencies that review foreign investments should reject the proposed takeover of TEGNA, a major local broadcaster, by a hedge fund and its private equity financiers, NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss wrote.

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Logo with raises fists and the words "Fair wages, Good benefits, An inclusive workplace."

Newsletter: WaPo members start bargaining, Gannett still fighting its journalists

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When members of the Washington Post Guild announced last week that they were about to go to the bargaining table, they had an impressive bit of news to share:

“We have been building to this moment for years — nearly doubling membership since the last time we bargained…”

Full stop. That is amazing work by folks at the Post Guild!

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Screenshots of letters sent by NewsGuild locals in Buffalo, Albany and New York City

New York Guild locals call on Schumer to include journalism job tax credit in reconciliation

This week NewsGuild locals in Buffalo, Albany and New York City called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to include a local journalism job tax credit in the reconciliation effort currently being negotiated in the Senate.

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