LA Times Vote on Forming Union Set for Jan. 4

Dec. 15, 2017 – Newsroom and commercial employees at the L.A. Times are scheduled to vote Jan. 4 on whether to unionize with The NewsGuild-CWA.

“This is a historic moment for this newsroom, capping months of conversations on what we can do to safeguard the future of the Los Angeles Times and its journalists,” the Organizing Committee said in a statement on its website.

Secret-ballot in-person voting will take place at the Times’ downtown headquarters and at the paper’s Orange County offices. A limited number of off-site employees will receive mail-in ballots. Votes will be counted on Jan. 19.

The date was set following negotiations with Tronc, the publisher, to avoid a drawn-out hearing process, and was approved by National Labor Relations Board.

“We are so excited to take this next step,” the organizers wrote. “Thank you again for all of your support — we will do this together!

NewsGuild President Bernie Lunzer said he was optimistic about the outcome. “This has been a long time coming. We will be thrilled to welcome the ranks of this prestigious news organization into the Guild family.”