FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Jake Sheridan; jakersheridan@gmail.com; 704-942-7740
Caroline Kubzansky; ckubzansky@gmail.com; 202-657-8212
CHICAGO — The Chicago Tribune Guild won its first contract from Alden Global Capital after six years of bargaining, securing substantial economic gains and 21st-century workplace protections for members as they continue to keep Chicago informed and accountable.
The contract, ratified with near unanimous support Friday, provides two years of consecutive raises and an immediate signing bonus to journalists who have not seen a raise since 2018. It also retains guild workers’ 401k match, raises minimum salaries to put the newsroom on a path to wage equity and contains essential protections against potential outsourcing of human journalism to artificial intelligence.
“We won because we fought, and we fought because we believe in the work we do for Chicago,” said Unit Chair Jake Sheridan. “The world needs people to push for truth right now. That’s what we do. This contract gives us a little more stability and a little more pay so we can keep doing it.”
“Alden Global Capital, often referred to as the “destroyer of newspapers,” first began buying into Tribune Publishing in 2019. It took full control of the paper in May 2021. This contract not only represents what guild leaders believe is the most comprehensive win ever secured against Alden at any of the dozens of newspapers they own, but also a check on Alden’s power over the paper.
Winning these benefits and protections was a fight every step of the way. Guild members participated in a one-day strike in February 2024 alongside sister units at the Tribune Joint Table and many stepped up to hold the company to account through smaller group actions.
“What we say at the bargaining table has no weight without the force of our members,” said bargaining chair Lizzie Kane. “We succeeded at the table because our members were willing to walk out, sign complaints, make media appearances and pressure the company to give us benefits we deserve.”
This contract is the foundation of the Chicago Tribune Guild’s work for years to come. As members keep up the fight for the future of the Tribune, its mission, and its journalists, they can do so with more economic security, equity and workplace protections. The work continues.
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The Chicago Tribune Guild represents 79 reporters, photographers and editors in the flagship newsroom of Tribune Publishing. Our mission is to protect the future of the Chicago Tribune, its community publications and all its journalists. The Chicago Tribune Guild is a bargaining unit of the Chicago News Guild, TNG-CWA Local 34071.