April 25, 2018 – Organizers at the Chicago Tribune will proceed to a vote on union representation through the National Labor Relations Board, they announced April 25, after receiving word that the paper had rejected their request to voluntarily recognize the union.

“Tronc has declined to meet our deadline for voluntarily recognizing the Chicago Tribune Guild,” they wrote in a Twitter post. “We’ll file cards with the National Labor Relations Board today and move toward an election with close to 90% newsroom support.”

If the company decides to recognize the union before a vote is held, union activists will withdraw the petition for a vote, they said in a separate tweet. Management has “the option to change their mind, and we encourage them to do so,” they wrote.

In rejecting the organizers’ request, Publisher and Executive Editor Bruce Dold wrote, “We do not have enough information to make such a decision and therefore we decline to recognize at this time. We believe the best course for navigating this process is through the procedures and resources of the National Labor Relations Board. We are committed to working with you through the NLRB to reach a quick resolution.”

Given the Tribune’s history, Dold’s decision was not terribly surprising. Throughout its 170-year history, the paper has been notoriously anti-union.

The organizing committee at the Chicago Tribune “includes veterans and newcomers, among them many prize-winners, all dedicated to providing our readers with the first-rate coverage of local, state and regional news they expect,” the organizers said on April 11, when they announced the union campaign.

“But a series of corporate owners – Tronc being only the most recent – has jeopardized our ability to do great work.

“Regular raises, cost-of-living adjustments and job security are non-existent,” they wrote. “The cost of our healthcare has significantly increased. Our maternity and paternity policy is inadequate.

“Development opportunities – the kind that allow us to achieve professional goals and to enrich our news coverage – are rare. We have lost many talented colleagues to higher-paying jobs that offer better protections and more possibilities for advancement.

“And although we live in a racially and ethnically diverse city and state, diversity is not well-reflected in the newsroom. A more diverse staff will help guide coverage that fully reflects the lives of the many types of communities in and around Chicago. We can do better.

“Our primary goal in forming a union is to give us, the Tribune’s journalists, a voice in setting the course for the publications we hold dear. This includes the Aurora Beacon-News, Daily Southtown, Naperville Sun, Elgin Courier-News, RedEye and Hoy,” the organizers said.

“This would be the first union for editorial employees in the Tribune’s 170-year history,” the letter noted.

The union organizing drive at the Chicago Tribune marks the Guild’s fifth campaign among journalists this year. It follows successful campaigns at the Los Angeles Times in January, the Casper Star-Tribune in February, Mic.com in March and the Missoula Independent earlier this month.

“There’s an uprising among journalists – a fight for the heart and soul of the profession,” said NewsGuild President Bernie Lunzer. “It’s evident in the union organizing campaigns. It’s also evident in the defiant actions of the editors of the Denver Post and in the reaction to the outrageous demands of Sinclair Broadcasting.

“Journalism is in turmoil, but as the industry searches for a business model that allows working journalists to remain true to our mission, there is tremendous potential for positive change.

“The journalists of the Chicago Tribune are playing a great part in that struggle.”

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