Media workers at three Hearst-owned newspapers represented by The NewsGuild-CWA have filed unfair labor practice charges against Hearst with the National Labor Relations Board this week, accusing the company of violating federal labor law and retaliating against workers for union activity.
The charges were filed by workers at:
- the Albany Times Union in New York,
- the Austin American-Statesman in Texas,
- and the Dallas Morning News in Texas.
The workers allege that Hearst management has illegally withheld information from unions, refused to bargain in good faith, and retaliated against employees for exercising their legal right to organize.
NewsGuild-represented media workers in Connecticut already filed multiple Unfair Labor Charges against Hearst for management’s failure to bargain in good faith and unlawful retaliation against union activists.
Under federal law, workers have the right to form unions, bargain collectively, and act together to improve wages and working conditions.
Employers are legally required to negotiate in good faith and provide unions with information necessary to bargain contracts and represent workers.
Instead, workers say Hearst has unlawfully engaged in delay tactics at the bargaining table, obstructed workers’ access to necessary information, and attempted to intimidate union activists across multiple Hearst properties.
In Albany, New York, Hearst has backtracked on more than a dozen contract proposals that management had already agreed to at the bargaining table.
“The Hearst Corporation’s delay and discipline tactics against Guild members has stretched across the board, but we remain united in our fight for better working conditions,” said Wendy Liberatore, the unit chair at the Albany Times Union. “Hearst needs to end its unlawful tactics, including regressive bargaining and disciplining members for doing Guild business, and come to the table and negotiate in good faith.”
At the Austin American-Statesman, workers say Hearst has undermined bargaining and retaliated against union supporters while employees continue pushing for a fair contract.
“A fair contract creates stability for journalists, which ensures the quality of the reporting our communities count on. We care deeply about this work and aim to safeguard historic news institutions through our efforts. It was extremely disappointing that when Hearst purchased the Austin American-Statesman, the company chose to toss away our existing contract, and disappointing now to observe how the company is treating us now that we’re negotiating a new one.”, said Keri Heath, a reporter at the Austin American-Statesman.
“We have an amazing opportunity to be partners in ensuring that the news of the future will be generated by humans not AI, that full-time newsroom jobs in Austin are kept local and aren’t given away to freelancers, and that the rights of workers in Texas are upheld and respected. Instead we find ourselves filing Unfair Labor Practice charges. We care deeply about this work and the gravity of this action is meant to reflect that. We sincerely hope that management chooses to take our rights and the content of our proposals seriously moving forward.” , said Cody Copeland, a reporter at the Austin American-Statesman.
Workers at the Dallas Morning News say management has similarly failed to bargain fairly and refused to provide the union with necessary information.
“It wasn’t always perfect with the Dallas News Corporation management, but we knew we could expect that they would honor their legal obligations to provide us with information. We had grown to expect that. It was alarming to us after the acquisition how challenging it can often become to get the most rudimentary information from Hearst,” said Smiley Pool, Bargaining Co-Chair for the Dallas NewsGuild and worker at the Dallas Morning News.
“We are demanding these unlawful actions by Hearst immediately come to an end. Journalists seeking a fair contact and improved working conditions in their newsrooms should not be facing intimidation by management. It is far past time for Hearst to cease their endless delay tactics and join our members at the bargaining table for serious, good faith negotiations” said Sean Emery, President of Media Guild of the West #39213 TNG-CWA AFL-CIO
The filings come amid exponential union growth in the news industry, where media workers across the country are facing off against increasing corporate consolidation of local newsrooms.
“Journalists are fighting to protect local news, improve working conditions, and maintain basic standards of fairness and dignity in the workplace,” said Jon Schleuss, NewsGuild-CWA President. “Hearst needs to stop breaking the law and start bargaining seriously with its workers.”
The unfair labor practice charges will now be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board, the independent federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. labor law.