Business
Daily Herald Journalists Win Union Vote to Form Daily Herald News Guild
Newspapers are pictured in a file photo. (Nodar Chernishev / iStock)
Journalists at the Daily Herald elected to form a union by a vote of 15-0, the union announced Thursday.
The vote comes after journalists at the suburban newspaper announced efforts in August to form a union following the layoffs of a dozen staffers.
“The union election reflects Guild members’ efforts to secure competitive wages and pay equity, transparency, a strong voice in the future of their newsroom and the ability to continue reporting on the suburban communities the paper has served for more than 150 years,” according to a news release from the Daily Herald News Guild.
Tribune Publishing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The union represents 20 eligible staff members at the publication. Staff members include veteran writers, editors and photographers, many of whom have worked at the publication for more than 25 years, according to the union.
The union will officially be certified within a week of the vote tally, according to a news release.
The Daily Herald News Guild joins with the Chicago News Guild, which represents more than 600 media, nonprofit and publishing workers throughout the Chicago area and nationally.
In August, a dozen staff members at the Daily Herald were laid off, less than two months after the publication was acquired by Tribune Publishing. The media company, whose portfolio also includes the Chicago Tribune, is owned by the investment firm Alden Global Capital, which has faced scrutiny over its pattern of holding newsroom layoffs and consolidating operations at the local newspapers it acquires.
The layoffs in August 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.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
