Journalists across 11 SoCal newsrooms have voted to strike

Today, the Southern California News Group (SCNG) union announced that its members had voted in favor of striking after more than two years of bargaining. 

Over 90% of the 125 professional reporters, photographers, digital, social media and production staff across 11 newsrooms represented by SCNG Guild participated in the strike vote.  

The SCNG Guild reported that a landslide 94% voted to authorize union leaders to call for a strike because “The company has engaged in unfair labor practices and stall tactics in negotiations,” the Guild stated in their press release. 

According to the SCNG, reporters have gone 10 years or longer without a pay raise.

"This vote should serve as a wakeup call for management who for more than two and a half years of bargaining has failed to offer acceptable wages and benefits,” said Sean Emery, an SCNG reporter and Guild Unit Chair. “The patience of our members is wearing thin. They are tired of struggling to survive on low wages that have remained stagnant for years. They are tired of waiting more than a decade for raises that never come. We are dedicated to covering our communities. But we will not stand by and watch the leaders of our company drag their feet when it comes to offering a fair contract.”

SCNG publications include The Orange County Register, LA Daily News, The Press Enterprise and The Press-Telegram among others.

SCNG is part of MediaNews Group, which is owned by the former hedge fund Alden Global Capital, known as the “destroyer of newspapers.” 

Alden Global owns more than 200 daily newspapers, and their business strategy tends to aggressively cut costs and reduce staff to extract as much profit from its newspapers as possible. 

“At a time when our communities need good journalism more than ever, our own company’s greed is making it impossible for us to do our jobs. We are fed up!” said Mindy Schauer, a photojournalist for SCNG and a member of the Guild’s bargaining committee. “I urge the public to stand with us so we can continue telling their stories.”

The strike authorization vote comes after two years of negotiations between the Guild and SCNG for an initial contract. SCNG journalists voted to unionize in June 2021, joining Media Guild of the West, the Los Angeles-based local of The NewsGuild-CWA. 

"Alden Global Capital still thinks paying less than $20 an hour is an acceptable wage for reporters serving hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians,” said Matt Pearce, President of Media Guild of the West. “SCNG journalists and news workers have overwhelmingly authorized a strike to help Alden get with the times by agreeing to a fair contract with a fair wage. We also don't think Gov. Gavin Newsom and our state lawmakers should give a cent of taxpayer money to large employers like Alden Global Capital unless these employers have agreed to a fair contract. Public dollars shouldn't support news companies that don't support their own journalists and news workers."