Posts tagged Gannett
Bergen Record reporters vote to walk out
March 14, 2025 // Print circulation at The Record is down by over 90% since Gannett purchased the newspaper from the Borg family in 2016 and now prints less than 14,000 newspapers daily.
Democrat & Chronicle workers end strike without reaching contract deal with Gannett
April 26, 2024 // In a statement posted to X, a spokesperson for the Newspaper Guild of Rochester says they are going back to work Thursday morning despite not reaching a deal. According to the union, the two sides negotiated Wednesday and had a possible agreement, but the union claims Gannett had inserted language that changed the meaning of the contract. They say they’ve lost faith in Gannett’s willingness to bargain in good faith and plan to file complaints with the National Labor Relations Board.
Statesman employees return to work after strike
April 12, 2024 // Gannett CEO Michael Reed didn't mince words when asked in an onstage interview last month how he's dealing with an uptick of union activity and pressure. "I think the Guild, unfortunately, plays dirty and lies to our employees," Reed told Axios at the annual Mather Symposium on media in Atlanta. In response to his comments, NewsGuild-CWA president Jon Schleuss said in a statement to Axios: "Gannett's last SEC filing showed Mike Reed making 66 times that of a median employee, while paying journalists poverty wages, cutting an average of 2,800 jobs a year and hiring lawyers to stonewall workers at the bargaining table."
Gannett journalists in the solar eclipse’s path go on strike
April 9, 2024 // Both Austin and Rochester are in the path of totality, and journalists at the two newsrooms say their outlets have devoted considerable resources to covering the eclipse. Democrat and Chronicle education reporter Justin Murphy said his newsroom has already published dozens of stories about the eclipse and has a “major” print issue planned for the event. “We see the eclipse as the exact sort of news event that demands experienced local reporters who know where to be, who know who to speak with, who know what to ask,” Murphy said. “We’ve put a huge amount of thought into where … all the different reporters are going to be set up to capture not only the eclipse itself, but all the different geographies and demographics of our community — the different experiences that people are going to be having.” But after the Newspaper Guild of Rochester failed to reach an agreement on a contract with Gannett Friday night, workers decided to launch an open-ended strike.
The Texas Tribune Is Unionizing
January 25, 2024 // That collaborative environment extends to the organizing effort – the Texas Tribune Guild is a wall-to-wall union, meaning that it will represent not only journalists, but around 50 eligible staff members including photographers, designers, and engineers. “We all feel like none of us can do our jobs without one another.” More than 95% of eligible staff members have signed onto the union’s mission statement; 90% have signed the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) authorization card. Many at the Tribune come from other news organizations that were already unionized, or that they themselves helped organize. María Méndez, the Tribune’s service and engagement reporter, was previously with the Austin American-Statesman, where she saw how Gannett couldn’t pull the rug out from under staff thanks to the Austin NewsGuild. After Gannett suspended 401(k) matching during the pandemic, the union filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the NLRB and was able to get that reinstated, along with back pay, due to status quo protections in place while a contract is negotiated.
KENTUCKY: Journalists at Courier & Press unionizing
January 10, 2024 // Journalists at the Evansville Courier & Press have announced the formation of a union, citing slashed resources and jobs. According to an email from the Evansville News Guild, the Courier & Press newsroom has been reduced to a fraction of its former size, and journalists “work the hours of three people to cover beats that once had dedicated reporters.” The News Guild also says they have been told there are no new hires coming, and there will be no pay raises.
Philly workers got organized in 2023. Look back on this year’s strikes, walkouts, and union campaigns.
December 30, 2023 // As worker organizing activity heated up toward the end of 2022, with new unions and strikes grabbing headlines through the fall, labor leaders predicted 2023 would be an even bigger year for employees seizing on their leverage.
Savannah Morning News staff vote against unionizing, amid employee departures at Gannett-owned paper
August 11, 2023 // A unionization effort at the Savannah Morning News has failed, after staff at the Gannett-owned newspaper on Wednesday voted 3-0 against organizing under the journalism labor union NewsGuild. The decision came two months after a group of eight reporters at the daily publication announced their intent to unionize, calling on Gannett to provide better pay and working conditions. But since then, several of those journalists have left the Morning News, and another — environmental reporter Marisa Mecke — told GPB that she was not allowed to participate in the election because her position is funded by an external grant.
ProPublica, lauded journalism nonprofit, is latest newsroom to unionize
July 31, 2023 // Reporters at investigative journalism nonprofit ProPublica announced Wednesday they are unionizing, bringing an industry wave of labor organizing to a somewhat unexpected corner of the media world. The announcement, timed to the 15th anniversary of ProPublica, comes as its corporate peers are grappling with layoffs and cutbacks that have stoked employee discontent. By comparison, ProPublica, a donor-supported nonprofit that counted over $57 million in assets on its most recently available tax forms, has been comparatively insulated from the economic challenges of the industry. In a statement, staffers said a union “is essential to preserving the best parts of working at ProPublica and ensuring our values do not waver regardless of leadership changes or turbulence within the industry.” The campaign could shift labor relations at ProPublica, which is one of few national news outlets of its size and distinction where staffers do not have union representation.
Summer of discontent: will US strikes spell trouble for ‘union guy’ Biden?
July 24, 2023 // On Thursday he was at the Philadelphia Shipyard in Pennsylvania to promote “Bidenomics”, a recently adopted slogan. The president said: “We have a plan that’s turning things around pretty quickly. ‘Bidenomics’ is just another way of saying ‘Restore the American Dream’.” But that message is still struggling to break through with voters. In a CNBC All-America Economic Survey released this week, 37% approve of Biden’s handling of the economy and 58% disapprove. In a Monmouth University poll, only three in 10 Americans feel the country is doing a better job recovering economically than the rest of the world since the pandemic. There is a baffling disconnect between these opinions and data that shows America defying predictions of recession and curbing price rises faster than other major economies. Inflation has fallen from 9% to 3% and is now at its lowest point in more than two years.