(NEW YORK CITY) - Fifteen years after ProPublica published its first investigation, Employees of the award-winning, non-profit investigative newsroom have announced they are forming a Union - the ProPublica Guild.

The announcement comes as a slew of newsrooms have organized and, increasingly, won major material gains for Members.

The ProPublica Guild announced their wall-to-wall Unit with 90% support across the Business and Editorial sides of the newsroom.

Members have requested swift recognition of the ProPublica Guild from ProPublica President Robin Sparkman, Editor-in-Chief Stephen Engelberg and members of the masthead.

The ProPublica Guild will be represented by The New York NewsGuild, CWA Local 31003.

In a mission statement distributed to all ProPublica Staff and presented to management, Employees said that forming a Union is essential to preserving ProPublica’s values and making it a fairer, more secure workplace - regardless of turbulence within the industry.

“We, the employees of ProPublica, have built our newsroom to be a leader in investigative, data, research, audience, visual and engagement reporting - and, thanks to the generosity of our donors, shown that a non-profit business model can be successful,” employees wrote in their Union Mission Statement. “We are proud of our work’s pursuit of justice and transparency and seek to hold our own newsroom to the same standards.”

“ProPublica has continued to grow and change over the years,” said Reporter Paul Kiel, who joined the organization in May 2008 before the site launched. “We’ve gone from a few dozen Employees in one newsroom to over (180) spread across the country.  ProPublica has navigated this growth well, and we, the Staff, view a Union as a natural step in that growth and an essential way to continue that success.”

Vianna Davila, a Reporter on the ProPublica/Texas Tribune Investigative Unit, said that working at ProPublica was a long-time dream of hers: “Now that I’m lucky enough to be here, I believe the ProPublica Guild will help us preserve our newsroom mission and continue to ensure this is a place where all ProPublica Workers, whatever their specialty, can grow and thrive.”

NewsGuild of New York President Susan DeCarava said: “For the past fifteen years, ProPublica Journalists have helped break some of the most important stories of our time and built ProPublica into an investigative powerhouse.  Now, as ProPublica enters its next stage of growth, it is essential for all the Workers at ProPublica to have baseline protections and standards they can rely on.  I’m thrilled to welcome the people behind ProPublica’s success into The NewsGuild of New York.  We support their demands for a seat at the table to fight for the workplace they deserve.”

To Directly Access This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: ProPublica workers form a union and join the Guild | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA