Workers in 11 SoCal newsrooms vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike
After over two years of negotiations, unionized workers still do not have a contract.
More than 100 journalism professionals working in 11 Southern California newsrooms voted overwhelmingly to approve an “open-ended” strike, the union representing the workers announced Monday.
The SCNG Guild represents 125 reporters, photographers, digital, social media and production staff employed by the Southern California News Group, which operates most of the news organizations in the region and is in turn owned by New York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital. More than 90% of the workers participated in the vote, which resulted in 94% in favor of the strike authorization, according to the union.
“The patience of our members is wearing thin,” reporter and Guild Unit Chair Sean Emery said in a statement. “They are tired of struggling to survive on low wages that have remained stagnant for years. They are tired of waiting more than a decade for raises that never come. We are dedicated to covering our communities. But we will not stand by and watch the leaders of our company drag their feet when it comes to offering a fair contract.”
The 11 newsrooms owned by SCNG include the Press-Telegram, the Daily Breeze, the Orange County Register, LA Daily News, The Press-Enterprise, The Sun, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, the Redlands Daily Facts, Whittier Daily News and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
After workers voted to form the union in June 2021, SCNG spent months appealing the election. Bargaining between the union and ownership began in 2022. More than two years later, no agreement has been reached for an initial contract.
The union said workers authorized the strike due to SCNG’s unfair labor practices and stall tactics, adding that many reporters have gone 10 years or more without a raise. An internal study in 2022 found that 80% of members are considered low-income earners under Department of Housing and Urban Development standards. One in 10 members would be considered very low income, the union added.
SCNG Publisher Ron Hasse and Executive Editor Frank Pine did not immediately respond to request for comment regarding the allegations or the authorization vote.
“At a time when our communities need good journalism more than ever, our own company’s greed is making it impossible for us to do our jobs. We are fed up,” said Mindy Schauer, an award-winning photojournalist.
Matt Pearce, president of Media Guild of the West, the Los Angeles-based local of The NewsGuild-CWA that the SCNG Guild falls under, lambasted SCNG ownership for paying some workers less than $20 per hour and called on state government officials to not give funding to Alden or other similar companies.
“Public dollars shouldn't support news companies that don't support their own journalists and news workers,” Pearce said in a statement.
Following the announcement, current and former SCNG employees took to social media to voice their support of a strike.
On Monday morning, former Orange County Register reporter Eric Anthony Licas post on X, formerly Twitter, that he started with SCNG at less than $45,000 per year and did not receive a single raise for the four years he worked for the company.
“Many who had been there far longer got even less. They stay because they give a shit about their communities,” Licas wrote. “All they want is to keep serving their readers without getting evicted or starving.”
Jeff Horseman, a logistics and politics reporter for The Press-Enterprise, wrote that he does not want to go on strike, but that too many of his colleagues are struggling financially.
A full strike would be a notable escalation from the one-day walkout SCNG workers held in December after management made a proposal that included a one-time $1,000 bonus but no wage increases. Workers pushed back but management still would not give pay increases to anyone making $46,000 or more, according to the union.
“Hopefully one day I won’t have to go to bed worried about whether I’ll be able to pay my rent or buy groceries,” Press-Telegram Senior Reporter Kristy Hutchings wrote on X.”This isn’t about wealth, it’s about survival. Enough is enough.”
