Nominations for NewsGuild officers will be January 7

The first virtual Nominating Conference of The NewsGuild-CWA will be held on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, beginning at 12 p.m. ET. 

Guild delegates to the 2022 Sector Conference voted to establish a virtual Nominating Conference to nominate NewsGuild officers. This change eliminates the need for delegates to travel to two separate conferences in the same year.

Next year’s in-person Sector Conference will be conducted Friday and Saturday, July 7-8, in St. Louis, Mo., immediately preceding the 2023 CWA Convention.

Locals must be in good standing [Article VII.2(a)] and must have submitted their per capita payments to participate in both conferences. Per capita payments for the Nominating Conference must be submitted for the months through October 2022 (due by Nov. 15, 2022) and through April of 2023 (due by May 15, 2023) for July’s Sector Conference.

Each local’s voting strength depends on the average number of members in good standing based on per capita payments over a 12-month period. 

Delegates and alternates must be elected by secret ballot. 

Nominations will be taken for the following NewsGuild officers: 

  • International Chairperson: Officer responsible for chairing Executive Council meetings and Sector Conferences
  • President: Full-time paid officer who serves as chief executive of the union and serves on CWA’s Executive Board
  • Executive Vice President: Full-time paid officer serves as chief financial officer and custodian of records
  • Regional Vice Presidents: Volunteer positions responsible for conveying concerns from locals in their regions and reporting on TNG actions and activities

Article IX, Section 2(d) of the Guild constitution defines the specific geographic areas included in each electoral region, but roughly, they are:

Region 1 – New England, parts of New York and Pennsylvania
Region 2 – Southern states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia
Region 3 – Michigan and parts of Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania
Region 4 – Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana
Region 5 – Greater New York City area and parts of Connecticut
Region 6 – Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and parts of Indiana

The membership of CWA Canada nominates and elects the President of CWA Canada in proceedings that are separate from the Nominating Conference.

Unopposed candidates will be elected by acclimation. In the event more than two people are nominated for any position, the Nominating Conference will vote to winnow down candidates so only two advance to balloting. Article IX, Section 3(b)

Contested elections are resolved by a secret ballot membership referendum conducted by The NewsGuild-CWA and supervised by the Sector Election and Referendum Committee. 

The term of office is 4 years, beginning July 10, 2023, the first day of the CWA Convention. 

Read more in the Official Call for the 2023 Nominating Conference and 2023 Sector Conference.