Employees seek to safeguard the News’ future by advocating for job security, equity, and a more inclusive and diverse newsroom.
New York City’s hometown paper is forming a union. The editorial staffers of the New York Daily News announced Friday that they are organizing with NewsGuild of New York. More than 80% of eligible staff are standing together to request voluntary recognition from Tribune Publishing, the News’ parent company.
“For 101 years, the Daily News has served as the watchdog and storyteller of New York City. Now, during a particularly precarious moment for media professionals and local news outlets, the editorial workers of The News seek job security, fair compensation, and a more diverse and inclusive newsroom that reflects the city’s dynamic population,” the workers said in a statement.
An iconic city publication, the Daily Newsjoins a growing list of workers at news outlets across the U.S. and Canada seeking and securing union representation. Over the past three years, several Tribune-owned publications joined the Guild, including the Chicago Tribune, Virginian-Pilot, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel and Morning Call in Allentown, Penn.
News staffers were represented by the Guild until the mid-1990s, when workers faced a concerted anti-union campaign at the hands of management. “Today, under different ownership, the workers at the paper stand united once again in a renewed effort to protect the paper and advocate for their colleagues and the city they cover,” they wrote.
“It’s painful to imagine what New York would be like without the Daily News,” said Clayton Guse, Transit and Data Reporter. “The paper’s held the nation’s largest — and often most corrupt — city government accountable for a century. The goal of this union is to ensure we have the resources to continue that essential work for the century to come.”
“It’s time we — the reporters, the photographers, the page designers — have a say,” said Kate Feldman, national news reporter and senior TV writer. “We all want what’s best for the News, and to do that, we need support. It’s about better pay so we can survive in this city we love, better job security to give us the freedom to keep exploring, better resources so we can best serve our readers. That should be everyone’s goal, and our union will fight to make sure it is.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome our hometown paper back into the Guild,” said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York. “The fight to save local news and to guarantee that the communities our members serve have access to reliable information and compelling stories is an effort we share with our Guild colleagues nationally. We ask that Tribune Publishing voluntary recognize the Daily News Union without delay so that, together, we can safeguard and ensure that The News thrives for another 100 years.”
Follow them on Twitter @nydnunion. To read their Mission Statement, visit their website, nydnunion.com.