Frequently asked questions

Who are we and why are we unionizing?

We are reporters, photographers, copy editors, designers, social media editors and digital producers. Some of us are just beginning our careers, others have decades of experience in journalism. All of us are deeply committed to the work we do, despite the challenges facing our industry. Among those challenges is hedge fund ownership, which has overseen stagnant wages and frequent layoffs.

What are the steps to forming a union?

We’ve collected union authorization cards from a strong majority of union-eligible employees at the Southern California News Group to demonstrate our shared desire to organize. Those cards will be submitted to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in what’s called a petition for election. SCNG management also has the option to voluntarily recognize our union, which would enable us to skip the voting process and get to the bargaining table much faster.

After the authorization cards are filed, we’ll then work with management and the NLRB to get a secret-ballot election scheduled. Because of the pandemic, union elections are taking place by mail ballot. That means the period between when we file the petition and when we count the votes could last a couple of months, or even longer if the company resorts to delays and stall tactics.

During that time, we expect to see pushback from management aimed at dividing us and eroding union support. We’re prepared for union-busting efforts and we’ll get through them together.

After we win our election, we’ll get down to the really fun part: bargaining our first contract.

What is the union going to fight for?

The short answer? All of us.

The longer answer: better wages, better benefits, and conditions that make for better journalism. We’ll decide what the specifics look like together. Once bargaining begins, we’ll choose leadership democratically, conduct surveys, and hold a lot more meetings to come up with a contract proposal that all of us can stand behind. 

Are all employees represented by the union?

Under U.S. labor law, people with managerial or supervisory authority over employees, including most editors, are not entitled to union representation. 

Could I get fired if I participate?

Retaliation for union activity is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act, though we know corporations still do illegal things sometimes. Our strength in numbers offers protection, too — we have each other’s backs.

How do union dues work?

We don’t have to start paying dues until after we vote to ratify our first contract. Dues would be 1.3846% of your regular straight-time pay (that excludes overtime or bonuses). 

What is the status quo period?

After we win our election, we’ll gain status quo protection, meaning the company must maintain the same wages, hours and working conditions that existed at the time of our election victory, until we reach a contract. In order to make changes to those things, the company would have to bargain an agreement with us on those changes. (In some situations, employers seek an exception from this rule by citing economic exigency, which would require the company to prove a sudden and unforeseeable financial crisis that requires immediate action for the company to survive.)

Status quo protection is important because, without it, the company could do something like unilaterally cut pay or vacation time during contract talks, unfairly forcing us to bargain over wages and benefits that already exist.

Who is the Media Guild of the West?

The  SCNG Guild is a unit of the Media Guild of the West. MGW is a local of The NewsGuild-CWA (our local designation number is 39213). The NewsGuild’s parent union is the Communication Workers of America, or CWA. Yes, it’s a lot of alphabet soup. MGW represents journalists at the Los Angeles Times, the Desert Sun, the Arizona Republic and other media organizations.