All posts by Jeff

St. Louis Review ratifies contract extension

UMG members at the St. Louis Review ratified a one-year contract extension with two key elements:  A 3 percent raise in pay and stronger jurisdiction language. The latter provision was especially important. The Archdiocese of St. Louis is currently evaluating...

Rockford/Freeport journalists join UMG

Newsroom employees at the Rockford Register Star and Freeport Journal-Standard voted 14-10 to join the United Media Guild during a representation election afternoon Friday in Rockford. They voted in the Guild despite an intense anti-Guild campaign waged by GateHouse Media. ...

Rockford/Freeport election set for Friday

Journalists at the Rockford Register Star and Freeport Journal-Standard will decide whether to join the United Media Guild. The National Labor Relations Board will supervise the election, which will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the second...

Extra benefits of union membership

Employees vote in the Guild because they want a collective voice in the workplace. That has enormous value during these challenging times in the media industry. The Guild is acutely aware of the financial challenges facing workers today. Our leaders...

The case for Guild representation in Rockford

Newspaper Guild representation has been extremely valuable to journalists caught in the historic upheaval in the media industry. Journalists in Rockford and Freeport should compare their experiences to what happened down south at the Peoria Journal Star and Pekin Daily...

Organized labor protests Koch Brothers’ Tribune Co. bid

Elsewhere around the county, organized labor is protesting the potential sale of the Tribune Co. newspapers to the Koch Brothers. Labor activists fear this sale would compromise the journalistic integrity of major newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune...

Rockford newsroom to vote on Guild representation

Newsroom employees at the Rockford Register Star and Freeport Journal-Standard are getting their chance to vote for Guild representation. The National Labor Relations Board will supervise a representation election June 21 in the second floor conference room at Register Star...