Journalists at the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette were thrilled to announce that they ratified their first contract on Thursday, becoming the first workers at McClatchy-owned publications in the Southeast to reach that goal. The ratification vote came 18 months after they won voluntary recognition of their union, the Packet/Gazette Guild.
The new collective bargaining agreement establishes a salary minimum of $45,000, which will raise pay for most members of the unit, including new people who were hired under McClatchy’s $42,000 salary minimum for “low-cost” markets.
“Through our members’ testimonials in bargaining and some of our own reporting, we made the case to the company that Beaufort County should be counted under the company’s rate for high cost of living markets,” workers said.
The three-year contract also guarantees a 2% raise at the one-year anniversary of the contract and another 2% raise the following year.
“We’re so proud to have McClatchy’s first union contract in the Southeast,” workers said.
Photo at top: Members of the Packet/Gazette Guild celebrated the announcement of the formation of their union, September 2020.