The NewsGuild bargaining unit at the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press has ratified its first contract, which will bring needed raises to all six people in the unit.
The unit, part of the Indianapolis Newspaper Guild Local 34070, was certified in February 2024 after a unanimous vote. The Courier & Press is a Gannett newspaper and the settlement follows similar agreements reached for Gannett units in Florida.
The contract includes minimums of $45,000 for a newly hired employee, $50,000 upon completion of five years of employment, and $58,000 upon completion of 10 years of employment. The two-year deal agreement includes $1 per hour raises for anyone who doesn’t reach one of the minimums during the second year. All six will be raised by the minimums in the contract’s first year.
“The wage increases are a big win for our newsroom as we continue to commit ourselves to serving the Evansville community with award-winning journalism,” said photojournalist MaCabe Brown.
The contract also includes language on artificial intelligence that ensures members will not be replaced by AI and holds Gannett to its current AI policy.
“This contract is an important step in keeping local journalism alive at the Courier & Press,” government reporter Sarah Loesch said. “Each member of our editorial staff is better equipped to tell local stories each day with safeguards now legally protected.”
Loesch said current staff members hope to share the increased salary minimums with new hires who can help cover the Evansville community in the way it deserves.
This is the latest in a wave of first contracts with new Gannett units over the past two years. The Evansville contract is very similar to those reached last year with two units in Palm Beach and one unit in Southwest Florida that covers the Naples and Fort Myers newsrooms. Other recent first contracts at Gannett newsrooms include Phoenix, Austin, Palm Springs and several units in New York and New Jersey.