Business
Journalists at Daily Herald Organize to Form Union Following Recent Layoffs
Newspapers are pictured in a file photo. (Nodar Chernishev / iStock)
Journalists at the Daily Herald are organizing to form a union following the layoff of a dozen staffers earlier this month, they announced Monday.
The Daily Herald News Guild has filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, according to a news release. The union would represent 20 eligible staff members at the suburban newspaper, according to the organizing committee.
The staff members include veteran writers, editors and photographers, many of whom have worked at the Daily Herald for more than 25 years, according to the organizing committee.
The move comes after a dozen staff members at the Daily Herald were laid off Aug. 10, less than two months after the publication was acquired by the media company Tribune Publishing. The firings impacted mostly senior staffers, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.
The recent layoffs earlier this month were the culmination of a broader series of layoffs, buyouts and work hour and wage reductions that have impacted newspaper staff over the past decade, according to the news guild.
The Daily Herald News Guild said it delivered a letter to Tribune Publishing to request voluntary recognition of the union. By forming the union, journalists said they aim to address high turnover, advocate for pay equity and strengthen the publication’s community-focused coverage, according to a news release.
“For decades our newsroom has been decimated,” Kevin Schmit, the Daily Herald associate sports editor, said in a statement. “And for too long crucial decisions have been made with no input from us. … We take this step now to gain a seat at the table and because we remain committed to maintaining our status as the trusted voice of the Chicago suburbs.”
Tribune Publishing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tribune Publishing, whose portfolio also includes the Chicago Tribune, is owned by the investment firm Alden Global Capital. Alden has been known for aggressively cutting costs at the publications it acquires through newsroom layoffs and consolidation of operations, Crain’s reported.
The Daily Herald News Guild is joining with the Chicago News Guild, which represents more than 600 media, nonprofit and publishing workers in the Chicago area and nationally.
The Daily Herald was founded in 1872, more than 150 years ago, originally named the Cook County Herald. The newspaper was owned by the Paddock family for more than a century and was converted to an employee stock ownership plan in 2018, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Today, the newspaper is the third largest daily newspaper in Illinois, according to the Daily Herald News Guild.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
