FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 30, 2025
Media contact:
Megan Gray, President, News Guild of Maine
574-807-2843 | meganedoyle13@gmail.com
Yesterday, workers at the statewide Maine Trust for Local News won an election at the National Labor Relations Board to welcome nearly 50 employees into their union.
Two years ago, the National Trust for Local News purchased the largest network of daily and weekly newspapers in Maine.
More than 150 workers at this news organization were already represented by a union. The News Guild of Maine already included all workers at the Portland Press Herald, as well as the newsroom of the Morning Sentinel in Waterville. The newsroom at the Kennebec Journal in Augusta is also unionized as Local 14115 under the Communication Workers of America and in the process of merging with the News Guild of Maine.
But many employees were still excluded from the protections of collective bargaining agreements, even though they are part of the same company under common ownership. That means that they see staggering pay disparity and are more vulnerable to layoffs.
On August 19, unrepresented workers filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to join the News Guild of Maine, Local 31128 of the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America. They called on the company to voluntarily recognize their expanded union that will represent all workers at the Maine Trust for Local News.
The newest members of the News Guild of Maine include reporters, photographers, copy editors, designers, advertising representatives and business staff at the Sun Journal in Lewiston and the Times Record in Brunswick, as well as the weekly newspapers and newsletters in southern and western Maine.
The Maine Trust for Local News decided not to voluntarily recognize this expanded union. The campaign proceeded to a mail election through the National Labor Relations Board. Staff at the NLRB counted those ballots Monday, and the union won in a landslide. The number of eligible voters was 49. The vote count was 34-1.
The News Guild of Maine is now more than 200 strong. Our next step will be to bargain for a fair contract that represents all of our workers at the Maine Trust for Local News.
Here is a statement from Megan Gray (she/her), an arts and culture reporter at the Portland Press Herald and the president of the News Guild of Maine:
Today’s vote count confirms what we already knew: Our coworkers want to join the News Guild of Maine. They want to have the same voice and the same bargaining power as their peers across the company. Today, they won those rights in a landslide.
We look forward to negotiating a contract that isn’t rooted in old models but reflects who we are today. We will work together to address the longstanding pay disparities that exist across our publications and to generally increase wages for those working in journalism in Maine.
The Maine Trust for Local News puts a spotlight on the issues that matter most to the people in our state. Under nonprofit ownership, we are building a business model that could be a roadmap to sustainability for local news organizations across the country. We are here because we are invested in that future. But we need the Maine Trust to invest in ours too.
Here are quotes from our workers on our launch day in August:
Joe Charpentier (he/him) covers the environment for the Sun Journal:
“Joining together with colleagues in solidarity to ensure individual and collective rights has been an amazing experience. We’ve learned so much about each other and what our roles are at METLN, and we’ve come to better appreciate the hard work each and every person does that makes what we all do together possible. Unionizing ensures that none of us have to face challenges alone, that we have each other’s backs. That solidarity makes us stronger, more secure and more effective in the work we do together.”
Kendra Caruso (she/her) is a staff writer at the Sun Journal covering health.
“Those of us who are not represented have little influence over the environment in which we work. That changes today. Today we demand equal pay, equal respect and the same job securities that our represented colleagues have. As one company, one union and under one contract, we will hold the company accountable to its stated mission.”
Sophie Burchell (she/her) is a community reporter for Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth and Falmouth and previously reported for the Forecaster.
“Whether newcomer or veteran, reporter or sales staff, every one of us deserves the benefits and protections of a union. We all deserve the chance to see a future in this work. As we stand here today asking to be voluntarily recognized as one union, I am hopeful about that future.”
Monica Speranza Cochran (she/her) is a page designer and copy editor at the Times Record.
“Frankly, pay equity and cost of living — or, really, the cost of existing in the U.S. — are big motivators for me in this unionizing effort. There is so much I want to do in life, but I am so financially behind my peers that I regularly have to lower my expectations and make my goals smaller.”
“Knowing that my counterparts at the Portland Press Herald make a minimum of $6 more per hour (or $11,700 per year) more than I do makes me feel undervalued and that the media I work on is less important than others.”
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