Washington, D.C. – A supermajority of employees at CQ Roll Call voted to form a union to fight for stronger job protections, better pay and benefits, and a louder voice in newsroom decisions.
After the parent company, tech startup Fiscal Note, pushed workers to a vote, over 90% of eligible members voted in support of the union. The CQ Roll Guild becomes the latest Washington D.C.-based publication to organize with NewsGuild-CWA and join the Washington-Baltimore News Guild Local 32035, following recent wins at Politico, The Hill, and the Washingtonian.
“We all knew we were going to win our election, but I’m excited the moment is finally here, and I can’t wait to celebrate this win with my colleagues,” said Jessie Hellmann, a health policy reporter at CQ Roll Call and a member of the guild’s organizing committee. “Now the work begins to fight for a fair contract that guarantees fair pay and benefits and makes CQ Roll Call a place people want to stay and grow at.”
“I was involved with the guild in a prior job and saw firsthand how powerful a union can be in helping to build a stronger, more equitable workplace,” said Daniela Altimari, a campaigns reporter at CQ Roll Call and a former member of the Hartford Courant Guild. “I can’t wait to get started!”
Workers at CQ Roll Call first announced their campaign to unionize at the start of 2024, sharing a mission statement with management that outlines their priorities of transparency, pay and benefits, job security, and opportunities for growth.
“It is the mission of our union to empower CQ Roll Call’s employees with the resources, editorial independence, and career development opportunities necessary to perform their best work as journalists,” the mission statement reads. “We seek to provide the newsroom with a louder voice within FiscalNote and an active say in how decisions that affect us are made.”