Digital media unionizing timeline

Editorial staff at Salon unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East when they receive voluntary recognition from Salon Media. The site’s 26 staff unanimously decided to unionize and announced their intent to do so in July. Their “why we’re organizing” letter cites Gawker’s campaign as partial inspiration and states that unionizing is a “positive and public way” to enact the progressive values Salon writers champion in their work. The union ratified its first collective agreement in November 2018.

Editorial staff at ThinkProgress unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. The union ratified two collective bargaining agreements with parent organization, the Center for American Progress (CAP), before CAP shut the site down in September 2019. The union organized to prevent CAP from continuing to publish ThinkProgress with non-union workers and pushed CAP to archive the site instead.

262 editorial staff at the HuffPost unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. Management voluntarily recognized the union, which staff requested on December 1, 2015. HuffPost staff were motivated to organize by a range of issues, including compensation, transparency, diversity, editorial freedom, and fair disciplinary procedures. The union ratified its first contract on January 30, 2017.

Editorial workers at Foreign Policy magazine vote 16-1 to unionize with the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild (NewsGuild-CWA). In October 2017, the unit won its first contract, which included just cause language, minimum salaries and guaranteed raises, protections for layoffs, and a grievance and arbitration process.

Seven staff of socialist publication Jacobin vote unanimously to join the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America). Management welcomed the union. In a statement, the union wrote: “We’re confident that, thanks to our initial efforts, future Jacobin staffers will see the principles of democracy, solidarity, and economic security embodied in their workplace.” On January 24, 2018, they ratified their first contract, which included raises, medical insurance, parental leave, and increased time off.

A supermajority of 70 editorial employees at the progressive news site Fusion vote to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. Management of the then Univision-owned company refused to voluntarily recognize the union and anti-union behaviour was reported. Following ownership changes, the Fusion union members joined the bargaining unit of the Gizmodo Media Group and Fusion was rebranded as Splinter, which shuttered in 2019.

Editorial workers at Thrillist vote 56-3 to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. Workers faced an aggressive anti-union campaign after announcing their intent to unionize on February 15, when more than 85 percent of editorial workers signed union cards. Thrillist founder and CEO, Ben Lerer, refused voluntary recognition, so workers mobilized an effective counter-publicity campaign online. A year after being certified, the union ratified its first contract, but not without holding a walkout and a strike vote—the first in digital media.

The eight-member staff of progressive publication The American Prospect unionize with the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). Management voluntarily recognized the union after members delivered a letter announcing unionization, citing Donald Trump’s presidency as one motivating factor.

Staff at The Real News Network win voluntary union recognition about a week after requesting recognition from management, joining the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). Eighteen months later, in September 2019, the unit signed its first collective agreement.

In a National Labor Relations Board election, staff at DNAinfo and Gothamist vote 25-2 to join the Writers Guild of America, East after management refused to voluntarily recognize their union. On November 2, 2017, billionaire owner Joe Ricketts shuttered the sites, leaving 116 jobless. Days later, 300 people gathered to support the laid-off journalists at a protest in New York City.

Employees of The Los Angeles Times vote 248-44 to unionize with the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). The 475-member bargaining unit covers reporters, copyeditors, photographers, and librarians, among other positions. Citing stagnant salaries, pay disparities, and corroding benefits, journalists’ announcement of their intention to organize in October 2017 prompted strong anti-union reaction from management. About five months after the vote, the paper’s then-owner, Tronc, sold it to L.A. billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong. A collective agreement was reached on October 16, 2019, after 15 months of negotiations.

Mic’s editorial union with the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America) wins voluntary recognition three weeks after the drive was announced. Pay disparities and lack of diversity were key issues. In their campaign, organizers strategically appealed to Mic’s editorial commitment to social and economic justice. On November 29, 2018, Mic laid off nearly all of its staff and sold the company to Bustle Digital Group, a move widely seen as union-busting.

Staff at The Onion Inc. (The Onion, The A.V. Club, ClickHole, The Takeout, Onion Labs, and Onion Inc.’s art, video, and marketing departments) unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. In their letter to Onion and Univision management (titled “Onion Inc.’s Groveling, Ungrateful Staffers Unionize”), workers cite having a say in decisions, maintaining editorial independence, ensuring fair pay, hiring practices, and severance, as reasons to unionize. In February 2020, ClickHole was sold by then owner G/O Media to Cards Against Humanity, which promised the five staffers editorial freedom and majority ownership of the site.

Marking the publication’s first newsroom union since its founding in 1871, the Chicago Tribune union, part of the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America), is recognized by management. Staff requested recognition on April 24, 2018, after about 85% of potential bargaining-unit members signed cards. The drive followed corporate restructuring and layoffs. Compensation, advancement, journalistic mission, workforce diversity, and voice in the newsroom were among the issues that journalists wanted to address through collective bargaining.

Staff at The Dodo, a Group Nine subsidiary, vote 35-4 to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. They organized to improve editorial standards, diversity, transparency, compensation, and workloads. The organizing committee announced the union drive on April 30, 2018, writing: “By organizing, we will codify a set of values that preserve The Dodo’s workplace as an open, progressive, and collaborative environment.” On December 18, 2018, members voted unanimously to ratify their first contract.

In a National Labor Relations Board election, journalists, photographers, and digital producers at The Florida Times-Union vote 18-9 in favour of unionizing with the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). When newsroom staff at the GateHouse Media-owned publication announced their campaign one month earlier, they highlighted severe job cuts, stagnant wages, and collective voice in the newsroom as key issues.

The Fast Company union of editorial and photo staff, who joined the Writers Guild of America, East, is voluntarily recognized by management. On June 7, 2019, the 32-member bargaining unit unanimously ratified its first contract. Gains include a minimum salary of $50,000 (some members received a 26% raise), severance terms, a provision to convert permalancers to full-time, and recruitment protocols to improve newsroom diversity.

Journalists at The Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press unionize, joining the Tidewater Media Guild, a unit of the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). Earlier in the month, the union had filed for a National Labor Relations Board election after parent company, Tronc, refused to recognize the union, even though over 83 percent of newsroom workers signed union cards. Ten days later, Tronc agreed. The Tidewater Media Guild also represents journalists at The Virginia Gazette and Tidewater Review.

Workers at the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization, join the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (NewsGuild-CWA) after management voluntarily recognized the union. The bargaining unit includes 20 members in news and development departments. Workers organized to bring more transparency to their newsroom and to create a more diverse and equitable workplace. They ratified their first contract in March 2020.

Workers at the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Valley Advocate in Northampton, Massachusetts vote 40-29 to unionize, forming the Pioneer Valley NewsGuild, a unit of the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America), after management rejected a request for voluntary recognition in November. The “wall-to-wall” union’s 70-plus members work in all departments: editorial, advertising, press room, distribution, circulation, custodial, and accounting.

Two weeks after requesting union recognition, editorial staff at Refinery29 unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. In a statement, the organizing committee said they “believe that unionizing is the best way, and the feminist answer, to address our workplace issues.” After being acquired by Vice Media Group, in December 2019, Refinery29 staff agreed to be represented by the Vice Union collective agreement.

Media workers at CBSN, the live-stream CBS News channel, win voluntary recognition after a majority of the 55-member unit of writers, producers, and graphic artists signed cards to be represented by the Writers Guild of America, East. In unionizing, the live-stream staff joined their broadcast coworkers at CBS News who have been represented by the WGAE for decades: “We organized to ensure that everyone who walks into our newsroom is treated equally,” stated the CBSN organizers.

Editorial employees of Allentown, Pennsylvania newspaper The Morning Call vote 31-12 to unionize with the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). Tribune Publishing management rejected the 47-member bargaining unit’s request for voluntary recognition, despite having granted it at other outlets it owns. Organizers cited staff layoffs and buyouts, stagnant wages, intensifying working loads, and lack of voice in the newsroom as concerns that had been growing since Tribune acquired the paper in 2000.

Future union, which includes over 70 editorial, video, photo, and social media staff, wins voluntary recognition to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. The union covers 11 verticals: GamesRadar+, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Laptop Mag, Live Science, Newsarama, PC Gamer, Space.com, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, and Tom’s Hardware. Fair compensation, editorial standards, transparency, and severance motivated the union drive.

Quartz staff announce their union has been voluntarily recognized after a third-party verified that over 80 percent of eligible members signed union cards with the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America). Their unionization announcement cites fair pay, clearly defined expectations, and diversity as a few motivating factors.

After a card-check certification, workers at music site Pitchfork and technology and science site Ars Technica unionize with the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America). Ars Technica, whose entire staff works remotely, becomes the first digital-media site with no central, physical workplace, to unionize. Workers want to address job security, layoff procedures, fair raises, diversity, and subcontracting.

Editorial workers at Wirecutter, a product-review-and-recommendation site published by the New York Times Company, win voluntary recognition from management after announcing they were unionizing with the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America) in April.

Joining the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America), the 80-member editorial union at BuzzFeed News (US) wins voluntary recognition, concluding a five-month struggle against management’s efforts to reduce the bargaining unit’s size. Days earlier, staff staged a four-hour walkout to intensify pressure. In a public announcement, the union declared: “we reject the argument that we must choose between freelancing in a hellscape gig economy for vampirical platforms or submitting to the whims of a corporation that botches basic HR tasks.”

Editorial employees of Cascade Public Media, a Seattle non-profit which operates the online publication Crosscut and the PBS affiliate KCTS 9, vote 16-0 to unionize with the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild (Communication Workers of America). The election was overseen by the National Labor Relations Board after Cascade declined to voluntarily recognize the union. Journalists’ key issues included wages that reflect the cost of living, benefits, the integration of units, and a say in the workplace.

In a National Labor Relations Board election, Arizona Republic staff vote 64-30 in favour of unionizing with the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). The union drive anticipated the merger of the Republic’s owner, Gannett, with the conglomerate GateHouse Media (New Media Investment Group). In a statement, organizers wrote: “Annual layoffs, stagnant salaries, swelling healthcare costs and high turnover weaken local journalism. Our newsroom needs a large, diverse staff to tell the stories of our community. Our newsroom needs a seat at the table.”

Staff at family-owned Washington newspaper The Columbian vote 19-8 to unionize. The 27-member unit joins the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild (Communication Workers of America). Journalists’ request for voluntary recognition was declined. Wages, diversity, workload, and benefits were central issues. In a public statement, the newsroom workers declared: “To succeed in an uncertain future, The Columbian must put its workers and readers first, united in the conviction that strong local journalism requires strong local jobs.”

Staff at NBC Digital News win a National Labor Relations Board Election 90-40, unionizing with the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America). Workers announced unionization on October 30, but management refused voluntary recognition, sending out emails to dissuade workers from unionizing instead.

Reporters, photographers, copyeditors, and other newsroom employees of Missouri’s Springfield News-Leader—a more than 150-year old newspaper—vote unanimously (13-0) to unionize, joining the United Media Guild (Communication Workers of America). Key issues included a shrinking newsroom, how layoffs are handled, and the decision-making power of distant executives at this Gannett-owned publication. The journalists called their new union “another step toward taking some local control of local news.”

Journalists at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in Cheyenne, Wyoming, unanimously vote to unionize with the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America), despite anti-union pushback from management. In a statement, the newly formed Cheyenne News Guild states that unionizing will better enable journalists to report on local news, even during difficult economic times. “We hope our decision to unionize resonates with other small, scrappy newspapers across the country,” they write.

Digital journalists at Sports Illustrated sign a voluntary recognition agreement, joining their coworkers on the magazine’s print side, which has been represented by the NewsGuild of New York (Communication Workers of America) since 1954. The new bargaining unit consists of approximately 80 staff. The drive had more than 90% support when it was announced on January 6, 2020. Equity, temporary staff, and harassment protocols were among the journalists’ concerns. Additional motivations stemmed from conditions under new owner, Maven, including significant layoffs, which disproportionately impacted people of colour and women, and inconsistent editorial standards.

Editorial staff of the non-profit online newsroom VTDigger win voluntary recognition. The VTDigger NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America) union drive was initiated prior to the pandemic to foster supportive conditions for high-quality journalism. The COVID-19 crisis, the VTDigger NewsGuild wrote in a public statement, “has highlighted the importance of our mission, but it has also heightened the fragility of our industry. Now more than ever, our newsroom staff needs a seat at the table to ensure rank-and-file editorial employees have a voice in the difficult decisions ahead.”

One week after requesting it, the 12-person editorial and tech staff union of Inside Higher Ed wins voluntary recognition. While the employees had started organizing with the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for union protection was seen as more urgent as cuts swept the media industry. In a statement, the Inside Higher Ed Guild wrote: “We appreciate that tight deadlines and shifting schedules are part of the nature of our profession, especially during a global crisis. We would, however, like to promote a healthier work-life balance as we adapt to our new normal.”

Employees of Florida’s Bradenton Herald vote 6-2 to unionize with the NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). Like other recently unionized outlets owned by McClatchy, a publishing conglomerate that filed for bankruptcy protection in early 2020, the Bradenton Herald NewsGuild was motivated to preserve local journalism and journalism jobs at a perilous moment for their newsroom. As private equity firms were considering a purchase of McClatchy, the Bradenton Herald Guild joined wider union efforts to lobby for a buyer that would sustain local journalism rather than gut newsrooms.

Joining the Media Guild of the West (Communication Workers of America), the union of about 30 staff of Pop-Up Magazine Productions, which makes California Sunday Magazine and Pop-Up Magazine, wins voluntary recognition. While the union drive predated the COVID-19 crisis, organizers wrote: “the uncertainty that the pandemic has created for many in our industry speaks even more to the necessity of unionizing.” In addition to protecting job security, staff organized to “bolster transparency, increase diversity, guarantee fair compensation, and create clear pathways for career development.”

Employees at four Gannett-owned publications in Florida vote to unionize (Communication Workers of America). Staff at the Naples Daily News and Ft. Myers News-Press vote 38-6 to unionize, forming the Southwest Florida News Guild, while 55 journalists at the Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News unanimously support unionization, forming the Palm Beach News Guild. A statement by the Southwest Florida News Guild highlighted deteriorating work conditions and a shrinking newsroom: “Collectively, we can fight for better pay, improved benefits and a diversity in our newsrooms that better reflects the communities we serve.”

The staff of Jewish Currents unanimously vote to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East, and are recognized immediately. “Forming a union is the best way to make sure that our magazine continues to uphold the pro-labor values on which it was founded,” staff wrote in a statement. Staff hope that unionizing can protect editorial independence, clarify organizational structure, secure work-life balance, ensure equitable pay and benefits, and enable staff to “advocate for editorial decisions that prioritize solidarity with communities of color, and particularly with the Jews of color and Palestinians effectively silenced within and beyond much of the Jewish media landscape.”

The Canada Industrial Relations Board certifies the Canadaland union. Joining the CWA Canada, the podcast network and news organization’s 10 non-management employees unanimously supported unionization. In a statement, the union declared: “We, the workers of Canadaland, believe that forming a union is the best path forward—not just for us, but for the company as a whole. We will benefit from clear policies setting out organizational structure, editorial vision, and concrete measures for achieving greater diversity in our workplace and programming.”

Journalists at Delaware Online and The News Journal are certified to form the Delaware NewsGuild (Communication Workers of America). Workers announced their unionization in early March and voted in a National Labor Relations Board election in July. In a public statement, Guild members explained that they want a “seat at the table,” especially since the paper’s owner, Gannett, merged with Gatehouse Media, companies with “histories of putting profits before the mission of journalism.” The Guild wants to protect workers in the face of layoffs, improve “stagnant salaries” and health benefits, and protect their ability to produce journalism.

One day after announcing their unionization, journalists at The Hilton Head Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in South Carolina win voluntary recognition from parent company McClatchy, forming the Packet/Gazette Guild, part of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). The union drive started in part to respond to McClatchy being bought by Chatham Asset Management, which workers say has no ties to the communities journalists report on. Journalists unionized to address dwindling staff due to corporate cuts and consolidation, stagnant wages, increased workload, pay equity, and the risk of losing their benefits, as well as to protect their ability to report locally.
 

Seattle Times digital staff vote unanimously (10-0) to join the newspaper’s print staff as unionized members of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild (The NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America). Digital journalists announced their union drive in May under the banner “One Newsroom, One Union.” Management rejected their request for voluntary recognition and tried to block the National Labor Relations Board election. Journalists pushed for a fair election, posting video messages about why they wanted to unionize to their Twitter account and mobilizing support from community members and print-side colleagues.

Staff at non-profit digital outlet The Markup create a wall-to-wall union after management agrees to voluntarily recognize the union. In a statement, the union wrote that “we believe strongly in The Markup’s mission of holding powerful institutions to account… (T)o that end, we want a fair, diverse, and sustainable newsroom that empowers us to produce the best journalism long-term.” The 18-person unit is part of The NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA). 
 

Editorial Staff at NowThis, a video news site owned by Group Nine Media, announces they are unionizing with the Writers Guild of America, East, and that management has voluntarily recognized the union. In a statement, workers link their union drive to a “broad movement for racial equity in newsrooms and workplaces across the country” and say that 85 percent of the 90-person bargaining unit signed union cards. The union effort began with a group of “BIPOC and allied staff” pushing for the company to address “systemic racism, inequality, and exploitation,” leading workers to acknowledge that a union was the most effective way to push for change. NowThis is the third Group Nine outlet to unionize; Thrillist and The Dodo are working under their first collective agreements.

About 200 workers in the editorial, creative, social media, and video departments of Bustle Digital Group unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. The unit includes staff at Bustle, Elite Daily, Input, Inverse, Mic, Nylon, Romper, and The Zoe Report. The union, which was voluntarily recognized almost one month after workers announced their drive, identified pay, job security, diversity, equity, inclusion, and editorial independence as motivation. They wrote to management: “we are proud of creating work that is intentionally inclusive, creative, and empowering. Unionizing will allow us to more fully live out these values. Considering the momentous changes that are routine in our industry and the unique challenges of the past year, we feel now is the time to join our industry peers and organize in the hopes of forming a more equitable workplace.”

Journalists at the Lawrence-Journal World in Lawrence, Kansas, vote to unionize, joining the United Media Guild (Communication Workers of America). In their announcement in September, journalists noted that the past decade has seen layoffs and cutbacks at the paper, and that the sale of the paper to Ogden Newspapers, based in Virginia, resulted in more cuts. “Despite having a billionaire owner,” the union’s statement notes, “the company’s actions have not demonstrated a true commitment to quality journalism or adequate support of the people who produce it.”

Daily Kos workers join the Pacific Media Workers Guild local of The NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America after management voluntarily recognizes the unit. In a Twitter thread, workers list a range of reasons for unionizing, including transparent policies on recruitment, promotions, and pay; building “collective power” to protect racialized, LGBT, and disabled workers; and “content areas that better represent the breadth and diversity of our staff.”

Journalists at HuffPost Canada and HuffPost file for union certification with CWA-Canada (NewsGuild-CWA) after a majority of the 23-person staff signed union cards. The application was filed one week after BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost from Verizon Media, including the Canadian staff working in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver (US employees of HuffPost are represented by the Writers Guild of America, East). In a statement, workers said they were unionizing to gain fair pay, including salary minimums; fair notice in advance of layoffs; and fair treatment of contractors, or the many workers hired through a third-party agency but working full-time without benefits and job security. Two weeks later, BuzzFeed shut down HuffPost Canada and HuffPost Quebec, laying off all staff.

The Washington State NewsGuild is voluntarily recognized by McClatchy one day after the National Labor Relations Board supported four newsrooms—The News Tribune, The Olympian, The Bellingham Herald, and the Tri-City Herald—forming one union. In a mission statement, the union outlines the vital reporting journalists have been doing in a difficult year, yet notes that staff are “barely making enough to live in the counties they cover.” The union cites cuts to newsrooms, higher workloads, and inadequate pay as motivation to organize.

Staff at four Meredith Corporation-owned outlets—Entertainment Weekly, Martha Stewart Living, Shape, and PeopleTV—unionize after nearly 100 staff voted 93% to form the Meredith Union. They form a single bargaining unit with the NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA). The union is partially a response to layoffs and pay cuts across the company after ad revenue declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the union cited job security, wage increases, affordable benefits, transparent editorial standards, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion as reasons they unionized.

Journalists at the New York Daily News unionize with the NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA) after winning a National Labor Relations Board vote 55-3. The win comes over one year after workers announced they were unionizing, a drive that began while working remotely during the pandemic. Print, digital, and photo staff organized to secure fair pay, job security, staff diversity, and “the resources that will embolden us to do our jobs confidently and collaboratively,” according to a mission statement. The paper was unionized until the mid-1990s, when then-publisher Mort Zuckerman effectively broke the union by forcing journalists to reapply for their jobs after purchasing the paper.

Staff at non-profit news site The Appeal receive voluntary recognition, unionizing with the NewsGuild-CWA. Over 90 percent of union-eligible staff signed authorization cards, listing several reasons to unionize, including unstable working conditions, job security, and racial and gender inequities. A few minutes after notifying management on May 10, the CEO announced that restructuring and layoffs would affect a third of the newsroom. Staff pushed back, claiming the layoffs were in retaliation for unionizing, and supporters pointed out that blocking the union through layoffs undermines the outlet’s mission. Under public pressure, management recognized the union and paused layoffs. On June 30, the union announced that The Appeal had been shut down, that journalists negotiated a “generous severance package,” and that a majority of staff will relaunch The Appeal as a “worker-led news outlet.”

Journalists at the Longview Daily News in Washington state vote unanimously to form the Longview NewsGuild, despite owner Lee Enterprise’s anti-union campaign. “We are organizing to secure a vibrant future,” staff wrote in an announcement on March 18. They note that journalists are burnt out and face high turnover due to a lack of resources and support for staff and the paper. They want to bargain for transparency in decision making and to secure new equipment, adequate staff, and a consistent pay scale. The Longview NewsGuild is part of the Pacific Northwest local of the NewsGuild-CWA.

Kansas City Star journalists receive voluntary recognition after announcing on May 10 that they are unionizing with the NewsGuild-CWA. The union drive began in response to owner McClatchy filing for bankruptcy before selling to hedge fund Chatham Asset Management, which left workers uncertain about and wanting a voice in the paper’s future. Issues the union wants to address include diversity in the newsroom, fair wages, and benefits.

Journalists at 11 daily newspapers in Southern California vote 64-19 to join the Southern California News Guild, part of the Media Guild of the West (NewsGuild-CWA). Journalists unionized in February to improve pay, benefits, and working conditions and protect local journalism. Management refused to voluntarily recognize the union and delayed a National Labor Relations Board vote by arguing that the unit should be split in two. Newspapers in the unit include: the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Daily News, Press-Enterprise, Press-Telegram, Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Pasadena Star-News, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, and the Redlands Daily Facts.

Over 100 reporters, editors, designers, videographers, and social media editors at Forbes unionize with The NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA) in a 67-7 vote. Members filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board in May after Forbes refused to voluntarily recognize the union. More than 80% of editorial staff at Forbes came together to advocate for overtime pay, salary raises, transparency, a more balanced distribution of power in the newsroom, and increased diversity in all position levels. In a mission statement, workers write: “We want a better balance of power and, most importantly, we want our passion for journalism to drive us instead of the fear of losing our jobs.”

A group of 21 digital workers who form the Digital Optimization Team for 37 Gannett news sites in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware vote to join the NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA), forming the Atlantic DOT Guild. In June, the NewsGuild had filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board after Gannett managers offered employees benefits in exchange for voting against unionizing. Despite an overwhelming majority of workers signing membership cards earlier that month, Gannett declined to voluntarily recognize the union, leading to a mail-in ballot election in July. Atlantic DOT Guild’s organizing efforts were motivated by a sudden restructuring of the company’s digital production, which led to furloughs, increases in workload, inadequate pay, and job insecurity.

Employees at cable news channel MSNBC vote 141-58 in an National Labor Relations Board election to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. With a bargaining unit of over 300 writers, producers, booking producers, and other editorial staff, this win is the first of its kind for cable news. Union organizers went public in June, calling for fair compensation, better benefits, greater diversity among staff, and a say in creating a post-COVID-19 workplace.

Editorial employees at The Journal News, Poughkeepsie Journal, and Times Herald-Record–three Gannett-owned publications in the Hudson Valley–vote 32-4 to be represented by the NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA). Forming the Hudson Valley News Guild, workers seek newsroom diversity, fair wages and promotion systems, and greater protections against staff, wage, and benefit cuts. Upon winning the mail-in election, the union tweeted: “This is just the first of many victories to come. Our union will allow us to cover the communities we serve without compromise.”

Employees of Politico and E&E News, an energy and environment trade publication, unionize after winning voluntary recognition from parent company Axel Springer, forming the PEN Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). More than 80 percent of reporters, producers, copy editors, designers, videographers and other workers at the publications signed union cards in October, listing equitable pay, diversity and inclusion, and job protections for all staff as motivations to unionize. There are about 275 workers in the bargaining unit.

Podcast producers, editors, researchers, writers, and hosts of iHeartMedia win voluntary recognition, unionizing with the Writers Guild of America, East. Workers seek equitable compensation, increased transparency in workplace decision making, and meaningful initiatives toward diversity and inclusion, among other reforms. In a statement announcing their union drive, workers noted that they “have been encouraged to embrace the dynamism of start-up culture without any of the associated benefits,” which they hope unionization will change.

Journalists at the Record-Courier in Portage County, Ohio, vote 5-0 to unionize with the NewsGuild-CWA. The unit filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board in July after parent company Gannett refused to voluntarily recognize the union (Gannett also challenged the Labor Board filing). Journalists at the formerly family-owned paper seek to address layoffs and improve “substandard” pay—less than $15 per hour for experienced journalists. For bargaining, the unit joins forces with the Akron Beacon-Journal, another Gannet paper, to gain leverage and bargaining power.

Thirty newsroom workers at the Bangor Daily News unionize with the News Guild of Main (NewsGuild-CWA) after management voluntarily recognized the union. Reporters, digital editors, designers, photographers, and editorial page writers organized to address insufficient staff levels and destabilizing staff turnover. They seek to advocate for pay equity, fair reimbursement and benefit policies, and reasonable work schedules.

Journalists at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle vote unanimously to unionize with the Denver Newspaper Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). The eight newsroom employees formed the Yellowstone News Guild in March and filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board after their employer, Adams Publishing Group, refused voluntary recognition. Responding to increasing costs of living, the journalists and photographers of the Chronicle organized to address inadequate pay and benefits.

Off-air content staff who create the nightly news program PBS This Hour unionize with SAG-AFTRA, joining the on-air staff, who have long been represented by SAG-AFTRA. Workers announced plans to unionize earlier in July, using the Twitter hashtag #WeMakeNewsHour, noting that as NewsHour productions expand into primetime documentaries and other programming and digital media, they want to create “a better, healthier, and more transparent workplace.” More than 70 percent of staff signed a petition to unionize, which was recognized by management.

About 500 employees of the production and distribution division of magazine conglomerate Condé Nast unionize with the NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA) after winning voluntary recognition. The bargaining unit represents editorial, production, video workers, and social media managers at 11 publications, including Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, and Bon Appétit. Workers went public with their union drive in March and spent months negotiating with management over who would be included in the unit. The unit also includes about 100 subcontractors, or permalancers, who work without stability and benefits.

Journalists at The Louisville Courier Journal vote 22-4 to unionize with the NewsGuild of Indianapolis (NewsGuild-CWA). They announced a union drive in August, after the Pulitzer and Peabody prize-winning paper’s owner, Gannett, announced another round of layoffs. Demands included creating a system of pay raises to reward institutional knowledge and commitment to Louisville, ensuring equitable and liveable salaries, and dropping the online paywall on public-interest articles, including those on natural disasters and COVID-19.

Staff at non-profit Reveal Center for Investigative Reporting unionize after receiving voluntary recognition. Workers unionized with the Pacific Media Workers Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). In a mission statement signed by workers, the Reveal-CIR Guild states, “with growing threats to our democracy and planet, our work has never been more vital – which is why we are forming a union.” The union aims to build an inclusive and equitable newsroom and “balance the scales of power” in the organization.
 

All 14 workers at non-profit organization Cityside unionize with the Pacific Media Workers Guild (NewsGuild-CWA) after management voluntarily recognized the union. The Bay Area journalists cover local news for two sites, Berkeleyside and The Oaklandside. In a statement, workers said: “We have organized with colleagues across Cityside’s editorial and business teams, with both fellows and permanent staff who work together to build powerful journalism, and we will continue to support all other future departments if they choose to unionize.”

Newswriters, hosts, producers, and technicians at Ottawa's News Talk 580 CFRA sign union cards to unionize with the Ottawa Newspaper Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). “We are determined to create a sustainable work-life balance, equitable work conditions, and a healthy relationship with management,” workers said in a statement. The unit ratified its first collective agreement less than a year later.
 

Workers at St. Louis Public Radio vote to become the first public radio union in the state of Missouri, forming the St. Louis Public Radio Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). Workers announced a union drive in January, seeking to improve pay equity, support career growth and development, address diversity, and improve workplace and employment protections. St. Louis Public Radio is an NPR member station broadcasting from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After management denied voluntary recognition, the vote was held. 
 

Workers at non-profit investigative journalism outlet ProPublica unionize with the NewsGuild of New York (NewsGuild-CWA) after receiving voluntary recognition. The wall-to-wall unit includes staff across editorial, business, and operations. They announced a union drive in June, arguing that a union is “essential to preserving the best parts of working at ProPublica and ensuring our values do not waver regardless of leadership changes or turbulence within the industry.”
 

Photo Editors at The Wall Street Journal win an election to join IAPE 1096 (NewsGuild-CWA), forming a 40-person bargaining unit. The unanimous vote took place almost exactly a year after the union had filed a petition with the NLRB. In a press release, the union wrote: “Today’s bargaining unit certification is the culmination of a years-long effort by Photo Editors and IAPE representatives. Dating back to 2017, the union had repeatedly tried to convince Dow Jones that Photo Editor employees should not be considered management, but rather union-eligible employees like their newsroom colleagues.” 

Journalists at Embarcadero Media News, which publishes Palo Alto Weekly, Pleasanton Weekly, The Almanac, Mountain View Voice, and other nonprofit outlets, unionize with the Pacific Media Workers Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). Workers won voluntary recognition after announcing they were unionizing to improve pay and have a greater voice in newsroom decisions.
 

Staff, fellows, interns, and other employees at nonprofit investigative outlet Wisconsin Watch unionize with the Milwaukee NewsGuild Local 34051 (NewsGuild-CWA) after receiving voluntary recognition. Announcing their union drive in October, workers wrote that “injecting democracy into our workplace will empower our staff, fellows, interns, editors, leaders and, ultimately, our community – Wisconsin and beyond.”
 

Reporters, editors, photojournalists, and business staff at the San Antonio Report unionize with the Media Guild of the West (NewsGuild-CWA) after management voluntarily recognized the union. One-hundred percent of eligible workers signed cards. Workers announced their union drive earlier in the month, citing a desire to protect the local independent newsroom and to achieve pay equity, grievance protections, and other improvements to working conditions. 
 

Staff at The Texas Tribune form a wall-to-wall union — including more than 40 reporters, photographers, designers, engineers, accountants, editors, and members of the development, product, and revenue teams — after their employer voluntarily recognized the union. Workers unionized to preserve the Tribune’s public-service mission, strengthen diversity efforts, and build sustainable careers in nonprofit journalism.
 

Forty-six writers, editors, and producers at CBS News Digital unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East after management voluntarily recognizes the union. The campaign focused on equitable pay, career sustainability, and improving newsroom diversity and transparency.
 

Staff at non-profit magazine High Country News vote 80 percent in favour of unionizing, joining the Denver Newspaper Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). The unit included editorial, art, marketing, and development staff who launched a union drive in January, after a year of organizing, to “bring more stability to staff and negotiate for competitive pay and just cause employment,” according to their announcement.
 

Twenty-one editorial workers at non-profit outlet Houston Landing unionize with the Media Guild of the West (NewsGuild-CWA) after winning voluntary recognition. Employees launched their union drive after the abrupt firing of the publication’s founding editor-in-chief. The board voted to close the outlet in May 2025 and lay off all 43 employees.
 

Employees at WJET-TV and WFXP-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania, including anchors, reporters, and meteorologists, vote 11-4 to unionize with SAG-AFTRA. The stations are owned or operated by Nexstar Media Group. Workers unionized to address staffing, wages, and fair and uniform enforcement of company policies.
 

About 20 staff at MarketWatch’s New York newsroom unionize with The Independent Association of Publishers' Employees Local 1096 (NewsGuild-CWA), which has represented workers at Dow Jones & Company since 2006. They wrote in an announcement: “For too long, New York MarketWatchers have been subject to unilateral company changes—and it is becoming painfully clear that union-represented employees stand to do better.” 

Reporters, hosts, development associates, and IT staff at WHQR Public Media, the NPR affiliate in Wilmington, North Carolina, unionize with SAG-AFTRA after winning voluntary recognition. WHQR is the second public radio station in the Carolinas to unionize. In April 2024, the unit ratified its first three‑year collective agreement, which includes sustainable salaries, annual raises, expanded benefits, and paid time off.
 

Journalists at independent non-profit Salt Lake Tribune, including reporters, editors, photographers, and digital staff, unionize after winning voluntary recognition. Workers form the Salt Lake NewsGuild (NewsGuild-CWA). In a statement, they say unionizing “reinforces our shared commitment to democracy, transparency and accountability.”
 

Twenty-three journalists at the South Florida Sun Sentinel vote unanimously to unionize with The NewsGuild-CWA. The newsroom, owned by Alden Global Capital, organized to secure stronger job protections, fair pay, and a voice in decisions affecting staff and coverage. Workers wrote in the union’s mission statement: “The union is our way of defending the future of our newsroom–and South Florida’s access to quality local journalism.”
 

Journalists at Military.com vote unanimously to unionize, joining the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (The NewsGuild-CWA). Workers organized to advocate for job security, fair pay, and workplace protections. Says an organizer: “As media outlets across the country cut pay, benefits, and positions to appease their corporate owners, we hope this recognition and the forthcoming contract will help keep Military.com from becoming another statistic.”
 

Workers at Nexstar-owned WEHT/WTVW vote to unionize with the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (Communications Workers of America), becoming the first unionized television newsroom in Indiana. The unit includes anchors, reporters, producers, directors, editors, and designers. Workers went public with their campaign in September 2024, citing concerns over inconsistent scheduling, stagnant wages, and lack of transparency from management.
 

Staff at Courier, a progressive digital media company, unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East after winning voluntary recognition. The 50-member bargaining unit includes reporters, editors, designers, and social media managers.
 

After two years of organizing, workers at The Guardian and the Journal Pioneer in Prince Edward Island win union certification, joining the Halifax Typographical Union (CWA-Canada). The majority of 40 eligible bargaining unit members signed cards in 2023, then their papers were sold to Postmedia. “The demanding nature of working in the media means that the workplace needs stability beyond just a paycheque,” workers wrote in their mission statement. “A union gives us an organizational backbone that will allow us to fight together in a way we cannot do alone.” 
 

Media workers at CTV National News, CTV News Channel, and CTVnews.ca (all owned by Bell Media) unionize with Unifor Local 79-M. Among the 90 workers are journalists, writers, producers, chase producers, schedule coordinators, correspondents, reporters, bureau chiefs, assignment editors, production specialists, social media coordinators, researchers, and freelancers. According to the union, workers organized to “win greater job protection and improved wages.” 

Editorial and operations workers at Chemical & Engineering News, the independent magazine of the American Chemical Society, vote 96 percent in favour of unionizing with the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (NewsGuild-CWA). Workers announced a union drive in January.