Tribune | The NewsGuild

Boundless Greed: Alden walks away from bills, gathers wealth and guts news organizations

The founders of Alden Global Capital — the infamous ‘destroyer of newspapers’ — are walking away from unpaid bills as they amass ever more personal wealth (and continue to gut news organizations)

Editor’s Note: The article first appeared on the website Save Local News on Sept. 23.

Randall Smith, cofounder of the hedge fund Alden Global Capital, is infamous for two things: gutting local newspapers and a voracious acquisition of pricey real estate.

Guild’s Tribune-owned units win big victory: NLRB issues complaint on healthcare changes

The NewsGuild’s Tribune-owned units won an important victory Monday when the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the company for unilaterally changing employees’ healthcare benefits in October 2021.

Newsletter: We are worth more.

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Over the weekend there was devastating news out of Buffalo, N.Y. Ten people were killed and three wounded when a gunman opened fire in a supermarket on Saturday in an act of racist violence. My heart goes out to the people of Buffalo, which is known as the city of good neighbors. I commend the brave reporting by Buffalo Newspaper Guild journalists. Members “jumped into action to faithfully tell the story. It’s a task we will continue to vigorously pursue.”

Morning Call journalists walk out

Unionized journalists at the Morning Call in Allentown, PA, staged a one-day work stoppage on May 13 to send a message to Tribune Publishing and Alden Global Capital: It’s time for them to stop devaluing the journalists’ work.

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.

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.”

Study by Tribune Publishing Guilds reveals rampant pay inequities

Workers at more than a dozen Tribune workplaces face inexcusable disparities

Members of Tribune Publishing Guilds released a study March 6, documenting rampant pay disparities based on race, gender and ethnicity at more than a dozen Tribune newsrooms across the country.

NewsGuild to Lee Shareholders: Reject Alden’s ‘Vote No’ Campaign

The NewsGuild-CWA is urging shareholders of Lee Enterprises to rebuff the latest moves by Alden Global Capital to take control of the company.

In a March 1 letter, NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss urged “fellow shareholders” to vote for three nominees to the board of directors recommended by Lee’s current board — and to reject a campaign by Alden Global Capital against two of them, Mary E. Junck and Herbert W. Maloney III. Alden’s campaign against Lee’s candidates follows a February ruling by the Delaware Chancery Court rejecting Alden’s attempt to nominate its own candidates for the board in violation of Lee’s bylaws.

Newsletter: Have you seen this video?

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Happy New Year!

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 new Guild members won union recognition at 42 new workplaces last year.

But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.