Gannett Reaches Deal With Some NJ Reporters, Walkout Looms For Others

NEW JERSEY — Journalists at several of the largest newspapers in New Jersey and New York have agreed to contracts with Gannett, ending a long-running labor standoff with one of the largest media companies in the nation.

A separate work dispute continues with the staff of The Bergen Record in New Jersey – another Gannett-owned newspaper – who are threatening to walk off the job if a deal can’t be reached.

Patch reached out to Gannett seeking comment on both situations. Here are the latest updates.

DEAL REACHED WITH 6 NEWSROOMS

Gannett Co. Inc., the company that owns USA Today and more than 200 other daily newspapers across the country, has reached a deal with reporters at six papers in New Jersey and New York: the Asbury Park Press, Courier News, Home News Tribune, The Journal News, Poughkeepsie Journal, and Times Herald-Record.

The NewsGuild of New York released details about the two-year agreement on Monday, which can be seen here.

The APP-MCJ Guild and the Hudson Valley NewsGuild voted to ratify the agreements last week. The two units have been bargaining for their first contracts with Gannett for more than three years. See Related: NJ Newspapers Try To Unionize; Reporters Have Demands For Gannett

According to the NewsGuild, some highlights include:

• “Strong salary floors for new and current employees, many of whom will see life-changing raises (as high as $23,000, or 57% for one APP-MCJ Guild member and nearly $23,000, or 53% for one Hudson Valley News Guild member)”
• “Annual guaranteed wage increases to combat inflation and prevent further wage stagnation”
• “Seniority, severance and a recall list in the event of layoff”
• “Guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence (AI)”
• “Just cause, no exceptions”

On Feb. 24, both unions – which have been bargaining separately but coordinating closely – voted jointly in favor of walking out. However, bargaining for both unions took place over the next two days and ended with tentative agreements for both.

A Gannett spokesperson noted that the agreements were ratified on March 6, but declined further comment.

Asbury Park Press reporter Mike Davis, who serves as acting unit chair of the APP-MCJ Guild, encouraged other Gannett newsrooms to “stop asking nicely and start using their collective power to demand what they deserve.”

“We fought for Gannett to invest in our communities, and in us – and we won,” agreed Journal News reporter Nancy Cutler, acting unit chair of the Hudson Valley News Guild.

NEWSPAPER APPROVES POTENTIAL WALKOUT

Meanwhile, editorial staff at another large, Gannett-owned newspaper – The Bergen Record – have voted to approve a potential walkout as contract negotiations drag on.

The Record Guild, which represents 68 editorial workers at the newspaper, took a formal vote on Monday. Its members approved the walkout by 95 percent. The union has been bargaining for their first contract with Gannett for more than three years.

The NewsGuild of New York released a negotiation update on Tuesday, which can be seen here.

Pay that doesn’t match the living standards in the area is among the biggest sticking points, union spokespeople said:

“Bergen County is one of the most expensive counties to live in in New Jersey, with homes at a median value of $692,262. A living wage for a single person with no children is $55,120 annually and over half of the staff make below that, with a shocking number (nearly a quarter of the staff) earning less than $40,000 annually.”

The NewsGuild of New York has filed multiple unfair labor practice charges against Gannett on behalf of The Record Guild, the union said.

“Gannett continues to bargain in bad faith and insult us at the bargaining table,” alleged Kaitlyn Kanzler, the Record Guild unit chair and a courthouse reporter for the newspaper.

“We’re willing to do what it takes to get a contract done,” Kanzler said. “There is no journalism without us, the dedicated journalists who live in and report on North Jersey’s local communities.”

Reached for comment about the ongoing labor dispute, a spokesperson with the Bergen Record gave Patch the following statement on Tuesday:

“We are absolutely negotiating in good faith to finalize a contract with our valued Bergen Record colleagues, contrary to the inaccurate picture the NewsGuild is painting. We are diligently working to preserve local journalism, whether it’s through legacy print or by delivering relevant content for New Jersey communities as we serve millions of unique visitors and page views each month to NorthJersey.com.”

Union spokespeople say that workers are sticking firm on their demands, however.

“Our members’ ability to earn a living wage has a direct impact on local news,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of NY.

“What happens next is up to Gannett,” DeCarava said.

• See Related: NJ Reporters Bash CEO Over Drop In Local News Coverage
• See Related: NJ Reporters Walk Off Job Amid Nationwide Gannett Newsroom Strike
• See Related: Study Probes Diversity In NJ Newsrooms: Race, Gender, Pay, Turnover

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