Kristen: You started covering labor almost from the start. What have you learned about labor and local news since?
Angela: I’ve learned that labor and local news are very closely linked. A lot of the places that have unionized in recent years are local outlets that have suffered budget cuts and layoffs after mergers and changes in ownership. Journalists are unionizing to not only save their jobs, but also to ensure that their communities have a paper that will continue to cover them.
Kristen: And are unions saving local jobs?
Angela: It’s hard to say definitively. There have been cases where unions have stepped in to negotiate with management to minimize layoffs. For example, they might see if a different employee can take another’s place. A union can’t completely stop layoffs, but a lot of unionized journalists point out that they can make the process “easier” by increasing severance pay or requiring that companies give advance notice before letting people go.
Read: A year after ratifying their first contracts, three news unions say they face less uncertainty
Kristen: It sounds like it’s a way of asserting some control over a situation where there’s been very little. And your latest piece shows this isn’t just happening here and there. One source you spoke with called it a movement. What did you find?
Angela: That’s definitely how a lot of journalists frame their decision to unionize. It’s the only way they can make sure their demands are heard.
I found that union activity at news outlets has been rapidly increasing over the past decade. And it’s not just newspapers or digital outlets. Public radio and TV have also seen an increase in union drives. Also, these drives tend to be very successful. Out of the 200+ drives I found, more than 90% were successful, and there are a number of reasons for that. The unions that represent journalists — the NewsGuild, the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA — let workers take the reins and shape their unions’ priorities.
Also, as one professor told me, journalists are good communicators. You can see on social media that a lot of new unions have extensive publicity campaigns to garner support for their efforts.
Read: Not just a wave, but a movement: Journalists unionize at record numbers
Kristen: What are the downsides to this — for newsrooms, employees, communities?
Angela: A lot of journalists will tell you that there are no downsides. After contract negotiations, they often secure higher salaries and greater transparency from management. One thing I have noticed is that occasionally owners of news outlets will shut down their publications rather than let their employees unionize, which obviously hurts both workers and the communities that relied on their coverage. This happens very rarely though. The most prominent example is Joe Ricketts’ decision to shut down DNAinfo and Gothamist after the employees there voted to unionize in 2017.
Kristen: What stories are you working on next?
Angela: The next step after getting a union certified is negotiating the first contract. So I’m working on a story about that and looking at how long bargaining usually takes, as well as what factors might shorten or lengthen that process. I’m also working on a story about workers that decide to join their unionized colleagues. For example, the New York Times editorial employees have been unionized for decades. This spring, their tech worker colleagues decided to unionize as well.
Kristen: I’m so glad you’re covering this.
Angela: There’s a lot going on, so it’s definitely been an exciting time to cover labor in media.
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