Workers and readers of the Reader, Chicago’s “free and freaky” alt-weekly, won a decisive victory Tuesday, when co-owner Len Goodman announced he was stepping down, clearing the way for the paper to transition to a nonprofit organization.
It was the culmination of an intense fight over the future of the iconic publication. For the past two years, the Reader has worked to convert to a nonprofit. But since December, when editors asked to publish a fact check of a Goodman column, he stalled the sale to a nonprofit organization that was formed to carry out the transition.
Workers were outraged. “Within the next few weeks, what remains of the for-profit Reader will run out of money,” they wrote in an April 14 op-ed in the Chicago Tribune. “Most of the Reader’s 35 workers make around $45,000 per year, and now a rich man thinks we should fear for our jobs because we dared try to correct his mistakes.”
Goodman’s obstinate stand just didn’t to go with the Reader’s vibe.
Staffers rallied a week later near Goodman’s home, with broad support from readers, artists, elected officials and community leaders.
Union members circulated two open letters, one for journalists and another for artists and artists’ organizations. About 400 journalists and more than 50 artists’ groups signed the letters.
Workers were gracious in victory. “The @Reader_Union would like to thank @GoodmanLen for his generous support of the Reader since 2018, which allowed it to survive the pandemic and make the transition to nonprofit status. And thank you, Len, for doing the right thing today. We’re looking forward to our future,” they tweeted after Goodman’s announcement.
But their pride was evident. “Our unit members worked nonstop through this four-month crisis and, along with nonunion staff, never stopped publishing coverage of arts, culture, food, news, and commentary in print and online. Thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to keep the Reader FЯEE and FЯEAKY,” they wrote.