{"id":17665,"date":"2018-04-11T10:30:32","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T15:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=17665"},"modified":"2018-04-11T11:07:24","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T16:07:24","slug":"stop-presses-chicago-tribune-journalists-form-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2018\/04\/11\/stop-presses-chicago-tribune-journalists-form-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop the presses: Chicago Tribune journalists form union"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

<\/a> Chicago Tribune<\/p><\/div>\n

Editorial employees of the Chicago Tribune<\/a> have announced plans to seek union representation \u2014 a first in the 171-year history of the traditionally anti-union newspaper.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreetings,\u201d they tweeted <\/a>Wednesday. \u201cWe\u2019re the journalists of the Chicago Tribune and its community publications, and we proudly announce the formation of the Chicago Tribune Guild.<\/a> We\u2019re unionizing to protect the future of the newspapers we love and bring readers the best journalism possible. #TribUnion\"<\/p>\n

In an open letter signed by 46 employees (including four Pulitzer Prize winners), the organizers called on their colleagues Wednesday to support the effort with the NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chicago Tribune Guild<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cA series of corporate owners \u2014 tronc being only the most recent \u2014 has jeopardized our ability to do great work,\u201d the letter read in part. \u201cRegular raises, cost-of-living adjustments and job security are non-existent. The cost of our healthcare benefits has significantly increased. Our maternity and paternity policy is inadequate. . . . Our primary goal in forming a union is to give us, the Tribune's journalists, a voice in setting the course for the publications we hold dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

As reported here<\/a>, the effort moved into high gear last month when Tribune staffers met with union representatives in a lengthy session at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza River North. In recent months the newsroom has faced multiple rounds of layoffs and other cutbacks, with additional job losses expected.<\/p>\n

\"They have looted the company and the tronc executives have paid themselves outsized salaries,\" Charlie J. Johnson, a Tribune homepage editor, told NPR\u2019s <\/a>David Folkenflik. \"The motivation [for unionizing] was the idea that the newsroom would finally have a voice and say in how things operated. We wanted a microphone to speak to management and the public about how this place should operate.\"<\/p>\n

Earlier this year news staffers at the Los Angeles Times voted overwhelmingly to be represented by the News Guild-Communications Workers of America. Tronc subsequently announced the sale of the L.A. Times.<\/p>\n

A tronc representative said a response would be forthcoming.<\/p>\n

Here is the text of the employees' letter:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Colleagues,<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nIn the past few weeks, we've talked to most of you about our hopes for the Chicago Tribune and its community publications. Those conversations have convinced us: It's time to form a union. We're hoping you'll join us.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nA wide range of the newsroom is represented in this effort. Our organizing committee includes veterans and newcomers, among them many prize-winners, all dedicated to providing our readers with the first-rate coverage of local, state and regional news they expect.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nBut a series of corporate owners \u2014 Tronc being only the most recent \u2014 has jeopardized our ability to do great work.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nRegular raises, cost-of-living adjustments and job security are non-existent. The cost of our healthcare benefits has significantly increased. Our maternity and paternity policy is inadequate.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nDevelopment opportunities \u2014 the kind that allow us to achieve professional goals and to enrich our news coverage \u2014 are rare. We have lost many talented colleagues to higher-paying jobs that offer better protections and more possibilities for advancement.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd although we live in a racially and ethnically diverse city and state, diversity is not well-reflected in the newsroom. A more diverse staff will help guide coverage that fully reflects the lives of the many types of communities in and around Chicago. We can do better.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nOur primary goal in forming a union is to give us, the Tribune's journalists, a voice in setting the course for the publications we hold dear. This includes the Aurora Beacon-News, Daily Southtown, Naperville Sun, Elgin Courier-News, RedEye and Hoy.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nIn the coming days, we'll ask you to join this effort by submitting signature cards signaling your support for representation by the NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America. The guild represents thousands of journalists and media workers at respected papers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Baltimore Sun and \u2014 as of this year \u2014 the Los Angeles Times.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nThis would be the first union for editorial employees in the Tribune's 170-year history, and we know you may have questions. We did too. Please feel free to approach any of us. We would love to talk to you.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nWe believe the union is an investment \u2014 in our work, in ourselves, in our readers, in our city and state.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nFor the Chicago Tribune. For Chicago.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nAlison Bowen<\/em>
\nManya Brachear Pashman<\/em>
\nTony Briscoe<\/em>
\nTeresa Budasi<\/em>
\nSad\u00e9 Carpenter<\/em>
\nBrian Cassella<\/em>
\nJeff Cercone<\/em>
\nLouisa Chu<\/em>
\nMegan Crepeau<\/em>
\nBill Daley<\/em>
\nCindy Dampier<\/em>
\nDahleen Glanton<\/em>
\nMichael Hawthorne<\/em>
\nErin Hegarty<\/em>
\nJoseph Hernandez<\/em>
\nRex Huppke<\/em>
\nCharlie J. Johnson<\/em>
\nWilliam Lee<\/em>
\nHannah Leone<\/em>
\nAngie Leventis Lourgos<\/em>
\nAdam Lukach<\/em>
\nJoe Mahr<\/em>
\nPeter Nickeas<\/em>
\nJosh Noel<\/em>
\nClarence Page<\/em>
\nAlex Parker<\/em>
\nAntonio Perez<\/em>
\nMichael Phillips<\/em>
\nGregory Pratt<\/em>
\nAlicia Ramirez<\/em>
\nDawn Rhodes<\/em>
\nJennifer Smith Richards<\/em>
\nLaura Rodr\u00edguez<\/em>
\nMary Schmich<\/em>
\nChar Searl<\/em>
\nJacqueline Serrato<\/em>
\nTed Slowik<\/em>
\nStacy St. Clair<\/em>
\nHeidi Stevens<\/em>
\nAbel Uribe<\/em>
\nMatthew Walberg<\/em>
\nE. Jason Wambsgans<\/em>
\nLara Weber<\/em>
\nStacey Wescott<\/em>
\nMary Wisniewski<\/em>
\nEric Zorn\u2028<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editorial employees of the Chicago Tribune have announced plans to seek union representation \u2014 a first in the 171-year history of the traditionally anti-union newspaper. \u201cGreetings,\u201d they tweeted Wednesday. \u201cWe\u2019re the journalists of the Chicago Tribune and its community publications, and we proudly announce the formation of the Chicago Tribune Guild. We\u2019re unionizing to protect... Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17665"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17665"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17672,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17665\/revisions\/17672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}