(AUSTIN, TEXAS) - Staff at The Texas Tribune have announced they are organizing with The News Guild-Communications Workers of America (CWA) and are asking the non-profit politics and public policy news website, headquartered in Austin, for voluntary recognition.

Just this past summer, 11% of the Staff were laid off after management dropped hints the news outlet was facing budget shortfalls.

The loss of so many of their colleagues and the lack of transparency around how the cuts were decided kicked Unionization efforts into high gear.

The Texas Tribune Guild is a wall-to-wall Union, inclusive of not just Journalists - but also some 50 other eligible Staff Members who contribute to the newsroom’s success, including Photographers, Designers and Engineers.

Many Texas Tribune Workers come from other newspaper outlets that were already Unionized and the experiences they’ve had with a strong contract and solidarity with their Co-Workers at those workplaces made this organizing step the clear choice to secure their futures, Texas Tribune Guild Representatives said.

“The hope is the Union will create an avenue for more transparency about the Tribune’s financial situation and generate more of a dialogue between management and Employees,” Higher Education Reporter Kate McGee said. “This seemed like the right moment to ensure that we have a voice in future conversations about where the Tribune is headed.”

For More On This Organizing Labor News Story, Go To: The Texas Tribune Is Unionizing: After last summer's layoffs, staff is organizing for stability - News - The Austin Chronicle