Critically Speaking: A striking state of affairs
Local news is hurting and now journalists at 11 Southern California newspapers could walk off the job.
Last week, I saw a job posting floating around my timeline that was advertising a reporting gig with MediaNews Group, whose parent company, Alden Global Capital owns the Southern California News Group, which includes the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
I wasn’t seeking a job with the entity whose holdings include the Press-Telegram and other regional newspapers, but the audacity of the listing had pushed it to the brink of viral status on journalism Twitter, which we now, unfortunately, have to call “X”.
The gig was in the Los Angeles area and included perks like a 401k plan and comprehensive health benefits. The pay, however, was not very comprehensive. The salary range was $18.75 to $20.67 per hour, or roughly $39,000 to $43,000 annually.
According to state calculations, that salary would qualify a single reporter for affordable housing units for those in the very low-income earnings bracket. Eligibility for subsidized housing was part of the comprehensive benefits listed in the job description.
A living wage in Los Angeles County, which is one of the most expensive regions in the United States is $26.63 per hour, according to MIT’s living wage calculator. And that wage only increases when you have children or other dependents.
So, it’s no surprise that unionized members of the SCNG Guild voted to authorize a strike this week, leaving open the possibility of communities from Los Angeles to San Bernardino without coverage from the 11 papers that make up the guild.
And given that guild members have been negotiating for a new contract for two years, there’s no telling how open-ended that strike could be.
I take no joy in seeing the Press-Telegram and other papers being systematically gutted by hedge funds and other owners who frankly don’t seem to understand the function of a newspaper, or how to effectively run one.
The PT has come a long way from its heyday when hundreds of reporters were on its staff. Now, the old PT building no longer houses a news outlet and the paper produces a fraction of the news about Long Beach that it used to back in the day when it printed two daily editions.
There was a point when I was a younger reporter that I viewed those from other outlets as competition but as the state of local journalism has continued to weaken I know they are allies in the same fight.
We’re all trying to keep our communities informed and often that comes with economic self-sacrifice.
As you might recall, the Watchdog sprang out of a strike, which is still ongoing, after nearly all of my colleagues were unceremoniously “laid off” after we signaled our intention to unionize our office.
Watchdog reporters’ complaints have more to do with illegal workplace practices than money and voicing our concerns has been met with threats of litigation from leadership at the Long Beach Journalism Initiative as the National Labor Relations Board and the courts determine who prevails.
What happens with the SCNG strike (if it happens) will likely be shaped by financial decisions that each individual guild member has to make to provide for themselves and their families. The good news is you can support them directly at the guild’s strike fund.
Our country has been built on top of the victories of the labor movement. Why do you have an eight-hour workday? Why is there a minimum wage? Why do you get paid time off? Because at some point a union fought for it and won.
The pending strike by the SCNG guild and other walkouts staged by other outlets in recent years might not result in the type of hallmark labor victories that previous unions have secured but the wins could still be critical for the communities they cover.
The pay and working conditions in journalism are increasingly driving out talented veteran reporters who can no longer make ends meet amid the rising cost of living. And perhaps more troubling, they’re repelling promising young reporters who rightly acknowledge that they can get paid more for their skillsets elsewhere.
It’s resulting in less quality coverage of your local elected leaders and issues affecting your day to day life. You can help stop this from happening in your community by supporting local news because the future really does count on you.
What happened this week:
While Long Beach could still move forward with establishing “quiet zones” along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks that neighbor homes in the city it doesn’t look like it will be striking a new deal with Union Pacific regarding the cleanliness of its right of ways. The City Council asked city management to work with Union Pacific earlier this year to address the noise but also the encampments and littering issues that plague parts of the tracks running through Long Beach. A memo posted by the city this week said that in addition to Union Pacific not being interested in entering into a new agreement with the city, it would likely be cost-prohibitive. Long Beach could have to commit to paying for things like graffiti removal, landscaping and even increased police patrols to secure a memorandum of understanding similar to the one San Jose has with the rail operator. However, the memo said that the city and Union Pacific could expand an existing agreement to allow city homeless outreach teams to enter its property along the tracks to contact unhoused people in an attempt to get them into shelter space.
Something to keep an eye on:
If you’re one of the unfortunate households who fell behind on their utility payments during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s time to pay up, if you can. The Long Beach Utilities Department announced this week that it will resume shutoffs for gas accounts that are at least $800 behind. These shutoffs will start on Sept. 29. The department resumed water shutoffs in 2023 as it tries to recoup about $13.6 million in outstanding payments from commercial and residential accounts. For more information about the department’s payment plans, you can visit the Long Beach Utilities website here.
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