Save The News | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA

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: We’re sending 15 Guild members to Labor Notes — could you be one?

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We are sending 15 Guild members to Labor Notes 2022. The conference will be a great chance for you to meet other activists and leaders in the Guild and across the entire labor movement. It is extremely inspiring talking with workers from different industries about how they build power through collective actions and a democratic union. It’s set to run from June 17-19 in Rosemont, right outside Chicago. Many Guild members will be there and if you’d like help going, we’ll cover the flight, registration and hotel for 15 members. Complete this form by Monday, April 18.

Media Guild of the West weighs in on Calif. bill to fund public interest media

Members of the Media Guild of the West voted overwhelmingly last week to weigh in on a California bill that would fund “public interest” media.

Spurred by the collapse of the traditional business model for local journalism, California Senate Bill 911 would create a board to “fund and promote independent, local, public service news coverage.”

Newsletter: Miami walks out, Buzzfeed authorizes a strike and Condé union gets bigger

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Journalists at Condé Nast are forming a company-wide union that, once certified, will cover more than 500 media employees! The Condé Nast Union will represent workers at the firm’s iconic magazines, including Vogue, Bon Appétit, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, and GQ. It will be one of the biggest units in recent NewsGuild history.

NewsGuild urges public pension funds to divest from Cerberus

The shadow bank’s legacy includes controversial investments, lawsuits and financing the destruction of local news

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared on SaveLocalNews.org on March 31, 2022.

Citing a New York shadow bank’s dual track record of “funding gun violence and death” and the destruction of local news, the NewsGuild-CWA is urging two of the nation’s largest public pension funds to divest from Cerberus Capital Management.

Newsletter: 60 Minutes tells a story we know well

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Tech workers at the New York Times are going to have their ballots counted this week! The 600-person bargaining unit will be the largest group of workers to unionize with the Guild in decades. And it will become the largest group of tech workers with collective bargaining rights in the United States. It’s only happening because of the workers themselves, the support of the NewsGuild of New York, CODE-CWA and thousands of you — NewsGuild members. I’ll be heading to NYC this week to join the workers and plan to celebrate! Follow along with the workers on Twitter.

60 Minutes tells a story we know well

60 Minutes’ final segment on Sunday evening featured NewsGuild member Evan Brandt: “For the last 24 years, he’s chronicled this community of 23,000 for the local newspaper, the Mercury, which at one time had dozens of reporters. Now, Brandt is literally the last reporter standing in Pottstown,” correspondent Jon Wertheim said.

Journalism bill pushed by media execs needs improvements

On Wednesday the Senate heard testimony on legislation that would exempt media companies from antitrust laws and allow them to collectively negotiate for advertising revenue lost to Google and Facebook.

The NewsGuild praises the bipartisan coalition in Congress that is deeply concerned about the current state of local news in America, but wants to make sure that any legislation is focused on supporting and increasing local news jobs.

Wrapping up a record year with workers unafraid to strike

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.

Column chart showing numbers of workers unionizing with NewsGuild-CWA from 2015 through 2021, with 2,128 workers joining the union in 2021.

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.

Newsletter: Four first contracts before the new year!

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Four units won first contracts last week! That’s an amazing number — one that reflects our intensified focus on getting agreements and building escalating actions.