The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia has filed two discrimination grievances against the Philadelphia Inquirer since mid-February, protesting the fact that specific Black members were paid less than less-experienced white colleagues who were performing the same or similar jobs.
The veteran employee who was the subject of the more recent grievance had asked the company to correct the inequity over a period of several years, the local said, but management refused.
“We applaud the aggrieved member for courageously taking a stand against this injustice. It’s a shame that the member was left with no other choice,” the local Executive Board wrote in announcing the grievance.
The earlier grievance was filed two days after the Inquirer published a damning look at its own history as a racist institution, Black City. White Paper. In the wake of the exposé — and an official apology – NewsGuild members “are awaiting a meaningful commitment that the newspaper and Publisher Lisa Hughes will take the steps necessary to move beyond its history as a racist institution,” Executive Board members said.
Local President Diane Mastrull said, “Past Inquirer leadership has quite a lot to be ashamed of. It now has an opportunity to truly establish a course and culture it can be proud of. But that involves far more than making apologies to the community and its employees. Time will tell how truly sorry and committed to change they are.”
NewsGuild members at the Inquirer have narrowed a gender-based pay gap since the Guild’s first pay study in 2016. During bargaining, the union highlighted inequities for women and people of color and proposed individual pay adjustments to address the disparities, as well as an examination of recruitment practices and re-establishment of a Diversity Committee.
Guild members continued to press complaints of racial disparities, and although management denied there were “statistically significant base pay gaps based on gender or race/ethnicity,” in March 2021, following a study by an independent firm, management announced it would grant $300,000 in pay adjustments to 70 employees.
Still, the two grievances demonstrate that pay disparities persist. “We encourage members who believe they are being discriminated against, in violation of our contract, to contact us immediately. We will not keep silent on this issue,” the Philly Executive Board wrote.
Neither will we.