McClatchy agrees to recognize union for journalists in four Washington state newsrooms

Journalists at four McClatchy-owned news organizations in Washington plan to form a union, and management agreed Thursday to recognize that effort.

Eligible journalists at The News Tribune, The Olympian, The Bellingham Herald and the Tri-City Herald have organized as the Washington State NewsGuild.

The announcement comes one day after a National Labor Relations Board ruling that the four news organizations could organize as one guild. McClatchy had argued in January at a labor hearing that it was more appropriate for the employees to organize as four separate unions.

Stephanie Pedersen, Northwest regional editor for McClatchy, said she’s eager to accelerate the process.

“The leadership team and our colleagues fundamentally share the same mission: to produce strong local journalism that serves our communities,” Pedersen said. “Recognition allows us to begin negotiations so we may continue to deliver on that mission.”

In its first news release in December, the organizers said nearly 90 percent of eligible journalists have signed authorization cards.

Unionization efforts have become more common in the local news industry. The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, under which the Washington State NewsGuild is organized, also represents journalists at the Seattle Times.

McClatchy, which operates newsrooms in 30 markets across the country, recently agreed to recognize news unions at two of its properties in South Carolina as well as in Fort Worth, Texas. Employees at McClatchy-owned newsrooms in Miami and Boise, Idaho, have voted to form unions.

This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 4:02 PM with the headline "McClatchy agrees to recognize union for journalists in four Washington state newsrooms."