BANGOR, Maine — After three days of voting, 89 percent of BDN Union members unanimously voted to accept the terms of their first two-year contract. The union’s Bargaining Committee reached a tentative agreement with Bangor Daily News Management on Oct. 2.
Under the terms of the contract approved last Nov. 1, BDN Union members will see:
- On average a 3-4 percent wage bump
- A 5 percent nighttime differential
- Improved paid time off policy
- A more generous health insurance premium arrangement
- Photo gear stipends for photographers and a separate fund to reimburse reporters for photo gear purchases
- An extra floating paid holiday
- A uniform parental leave policy, replacing separate maternal and paternal leaves
- An option for a reduced schedule for new parents who want to ease their transition back into work
- Expanded bereavement leave
- A paid hour to vote
Additionally, the BDN Union has worked with Management to acquire an improved health insurance plan for the coming year that will reduce costs for members while maintaining quality care.
“This first contract was a labor of love and many, many hours of hard work,” said Christopher Burns, the BDN Union’s council chair and a member of the Bargaining Committee. “It represents a positive step forward for us. The Bangor Daily News’ hardworking journalists will see improved compensation and our contract terms will provide for a better work-life balance.”
The BDN Union members, including reporters, digital editors, paginators and deputy opinion staff, gained voluntary recognition on May 11, 2022, after presenting a petition demanding a union signed by 90 percent of the proposed unit. It’s the first union to represent the BDN newsroom after two failed campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s.