(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) – Unionized Journalists employed at The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and The Canandaigua Daily Messenger have unanimously ratified a tentative agreement on a two-year contract - after two and a half years of bargaining and a 19-day Strike that forced Gannett to scramble to find coverage for a series of major news events, including the total solar eclipse in the Rochester area.

The strike ended on April 24th, but the parties continued discussions over the past several weeks after Journalists filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over allegations of bad faith bargaining and retaliation for Union activity. 

The group of 24 Reporters, Photo-Journalists and Producers - represented by the Newspaper Guild of Rochester, a Unit of The NewsGuild of New York - fearlessly took on their paper’s corporate owner, Gannett, the Nation’s largest Newspaper Chain.

Their parent Union, The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America, represents more than 50 Gannett Bargaining Units across the country, collectively covering more than 1,000 Employees. 

The historic Strike, backed by the support of community allies, elected officials and readers, yielded a new agreement that won a majority of their demands, including: An average raise of 15% over the life of the two-year contract, which guarantees raises for every Member of the Bargaining Unit after decades of wage stagnation; Real raises for the Unit’s most grossly underpaid Employees.  Several of the lowest-paid and longest-serving Members will receive raises between $10,000 and $20,000; A new minimum salary scale that recognizes years of service and corrects for long-standing pay inequities; Annual raises that amount to an additional salary increase of $2,730 for each Member over the term of the contract; A $1,000 bonus for each Member upon contract ratification; New layoff protections, which include notice, a seniority basis for layoffs, guaranteed severance and a one-year recall period.  The prior contract had no notice, no seniority, no recall and no guaranteed severance.  Members also won a provision that states: “There shall be no dismissals as a result of putting this agreement into effect;” New protections around discipline and discharge, eliminating the old contract’s “editorial exception” to the just cause standard which would have allowed for management to terminate anyone for performance issues without the right to arbitration.  Members fought for and won “just cause, no exceptions.”

“We were sick and tired of stagnant wages and virtually no protections in the workplace.  We fought together and stood strong.  We wanted to see everyone be paid what they were worth and we were willing to fight for it,” said Tina MacIntyre-Yee, Democrat & Chronicle Photojournalist and Secretary of the Newspaper Guild of Rochester.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and Canandaigua Daily Messenger Journalists Win New Contract After Historic 19-Day Strike | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA

Photo Courtesy of Rochester Association of Black Journalists’ Facebook Page.