Detroit Free Press staff

Unionized workers at the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News approved three-year contracts today that include annual wage increases and a signing bonus.

In voting that concluded Sunday, members of the Newspaper Guild of Detroit Local 34022 voted overwhelmingly to ratify tentative agreements reached earlier this month, according to a news release from the Guild.

"Bargaining was long and difficult, but our negotiating teams believe we crafted the best deal we could for our members in a difficult environment for newspapers," said John Gallagher, a business reporter for the Free Press and Detroit Guild president, in a statement.

The Guild represents reporters, photographers, copy editors, page designers, editorial assistants, and other newsroom workers.

The contracts for both newsrooms include a $700 signing bonus, plus raises of 1.5% in each of the first two years and 1% in the third year. Workers also retain their current health care plan without additional co-payments or premium increases.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day also will be added as a paid holiday for workers at the Free Press.

The contract allows the Free Press after 18 months to move copy editing and design jobs into centralized hubs operated by its parent company Gannett.

Displaced workers would be eligible for extended severance pay and health insurance.

The contract doesn't impact design and copy editing at the Detroit News, which is owned separately by Digital First Media, but shares business operations with the Free Press under a joint operating agreement.