Journalists at Gannett newspapers walk out over deep cuts and low pay
Source: NPR
Hundreds of journalists are walking off the job Monday and Tuesday at two dozen newspapers owned by the Gannett company. They're protesting working conditions at their papers and launching a lacerating attack on Gannett's chief executive.
The newspapers, in seven states, include The Arizona Republic, The Austin American Statesman, The Florida Times-Union, The Asbury Park Press and others. The journalists and representatives at their union, the NewsGuild, accuse Gannett of undercompensating them for years. And, they note, they are now being asked to do more than ever.
According to Jon Schleuss, the president of the NewsGuild, corporate executives have eliminated 54 percent of the combined workforce of Gannett Co. since it merged with GateHouse Media four years ago to make a newspaper behemoth. Financing for the merger loaded up the new Gannett Co. with debt that led to hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts.
The walkout is said to be the largest labor action in Gannett's history. Workers are focusing their ire on Mike Reed, the former GateHouse chief who now leads the new Gannett Co. The staff demanded that shareholders at an annual meeting Monday morning cast a vote of no confidence in Reed's leadership. The meeting, however, was brief with no questions taken by Reed, according to Schleuss, who said he attended the meeting.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/05/1180132169/gannett-newspaper-journalists-walk-out-protest-pay-cuts
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