Happy Labor Day!
I hope you, like most folks, get the day off today and can use it to recharge.
Since the last Labor Day more than 950 workers have unionized with us from 31 places including the Anchorage Daily News, EdSource, LancasterOnline, the Washington Post Tech workers, Snopes, staffers at Workers United and more!
We’ve won an incredible 31 first contracts at employers including NBC News, CalMatters/The Markup, New York Times Tech, Wisconsin Watch, San Antonio Report, The Hill, Denver Urban Gardens and so many others.
We’ve had a handful of strikes since last year, including at Law360 and tech workers at the New York Times. We’ve been on strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette now for 1,049 days. Each time we strike, we do it for ourselves, our families and our colleagues. We do it to hold the boss to account. We never do it lightly. But we are willing to do whatever it takes to win.
And the boss knows that.
We’re seeing more aggressive behavior by bosses, the Trump administration and in Canada — repeated interference with workers’ rights.
It’s imperative that we stand and fight together this Labor Day and every day.
Our union is large and growing with more than 27,000 members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico. Most members in Canada are members of both CWA/SCA Canada and The NewsGuild-CWA.
Two weeks ago we had The NewsGuild-CWA’s Sector Conference and I presented a framed copy of the first collective agreement with the CBC to CWA/SCA Canada President Carmel Smyth, CMG President Annick Forest, and Toronto Location President Kat McMorrow. The document is from 1953 and was signed by Chuck Dale, a former NewsGuild president who was born in Nova Scotia.
At the Sector Conference delegates passed a resolution, co-written and sponsored by both U.S. and Canadian delegates, for North American Solidarity. The NewsGuild currently represents more than 6,000 workers in 20 locals in Canada, with Canadians working autonomously as part of CWA Canada, and more than 19,000 workers in 41 locals in the United States.
Canadian and U.S. members have equal voting rights and democratic input in the governance of The NewsGuild, including a permanent seat on the Executive Council, along with the right to run for the three top offices of The NewsGuild.
In the resolution delegates from both the U.S. and Canada resolved to improve transparency and communication with Canadian locals by developing a direct outreach campaign. So, from today onward, you’ll be subscribed to my every-other-week newsletter. I use this space to share updates and bind us together by communicating what’s happening across our large union. So, let’s dig in!
Signal Ohio journalists launched a union last week! A whopping 80% of eligible employees signed union cards to form the Signal Ohio News Workers Guild, representing a nonprofit newsroom that spans Akron, Cleveland and Columbus.
“Strong local journalism depends on well-supported journalists,” Signal Akron Culture and Arts Reporter Brittany Moseley said. “Joining the News Workers Guild will provide my colleagues and I the resources we need to better serve our communities.”
Follow Guild Local 1 on Instagram, Twitter/X and Facebook pages.
Journalists at VTDigger took a lunch-out and launched a campaign demanding management return to the bargaining table with a contract proposal that addresses the unsustainable inequity and turnover at the largest newsroom in the Green Mountain state. Management at the nonprofit newsroom wants to cut its contribution to the healthcare premiums and keep wages below livable standards while ballooning its own compensation.
New York Daily News journalists took their fight for a fair contract to Yankee Stadium, passing out hundreds of special baseball cards. The cards feature a design of the Daily News Page 1 with the headline “WHO’S A BUM!” and the answer: “Alden Global Capital, that’s who!” Since buying the paper for $1, the vulture fund has refused to agree to a fair contract while also continually upping its bid for the Dallas Morning News. So, the vultures have money.
“We’ve been locked in a contract fight with private equity firm Alden Global Capital for more than three years,” said Evan Simko-Bednarski, a transit journalist at the News. “Meanwhile, they’ve refused to fill open positions or invest in the future of New York’s hometown paper.”
Be sure to let our family at the Daily News know that you stand with them.
Journalists at Sightline media have seen no real movement by management at the bargaining table as they approach one year since winning their union. No progress on fair pay. No progress on regular raises to keep up with the cost of living. No plan to address pay disparities. No 401(k) match. No meaningful parental leave. And more. Be sure to give them a follow and support their fight for a fair first contract.
Management at the Maine Trust for Local News refused to voluntarily recognize journalists organizing to join the rest of their unionized newsroom in the state. “We remain undeterred and confident in our goal of forming One Big Union,” workers said in response, filing for an election. “A supermajority of unrepresented workers are ready and eager to vote in favor of forming a union!”
The Canadian Media Guild’s Calgary location unit marched in the Calgary Pride parade on August 31, representing members at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Radio-Canada, along with their family and friends.
The NewsGuild of New York released a statement condemning the violence against journalists in Gaza. Israel killed another five journalists in Gaza on August 25. They worked for Reuters, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. “We are outraged that they were killed while at work at Nasser Hospital, a location protected by international law,” the local said.
Journalists at Ziff Davis also condemned the recent killing of journalists. “We demand justice and accountability for this unprecedented assault on the press, as well as the ongoing suppression and violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” they said. “As journalists, we stand for the truth. This genocide must be stopped. We must all do our part.”
Cornell University is offering its Labor Leadership Skills training again this fall and you can apply for assistance. Four different modules cover steward training, negotiation skills, costing out a contract and effective communication. Courses are in-person in Buffalo, N.Y. or online. The Bruce Nelson Collective Bargaining Scholarship was established two years ago to help NewsGuild members and staff to support future leaders at the table and in the workplace. Learn more and apply here.
We’re hosting a two-part series on Pay Equity starting at 8pm ET September 9. We’ll begin with an intro to Pay Equity Campaigns and begin with an intro to pay equity campaigns, a cornerstone of the Guild for many years now. Then at 8pm ET on September 16 we’ll review case studies from the Washington Post, Gannett and the Los Angeles Times. Members register here.
In solidarity,
Jon Schleuss
President
The NewsGuild-CWA