EVERETT — Newsroom employees at The Daily Herald announced Tuesday their intent to form a union to bargain collectively on wages, benefits and working conditions at the 121-year-old newspaper.
Eligible reporters, editors, photographers, page designers and web producers asked Sound Publishing Inc., owner of The Herald, to voluntarily recognize the Everett NewsGuild as their union.
“We’re trying to lay the groundwork for our current and future journalists to have not just a fulfilling career, but the ability to stay and invest in the community,” said Isabella Breda, a local government reporter.
Josh O’Connor, president of Sound Publishing and co-chief executive officer of Black Press, parent company of Sound Publishing, said company officials received the petition Tuesday morning and would respond by the end of the week.
Workers are seeking recognition of a bargaining unit of 23 journalists in non-managerial positions, including reporters, photographers, page designers and web producers. About 95% of them had signed authorization cards, according to a press release.
The Everett NewsGuild will be represented by The NewsGuild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America. The NewsGuild is the largest union of journalists and media workers in North America.
The Herald began publishing in 1901. Sound Publishing acquired the newspaper in 2013.
Sound, which was founded in 1987, produces print and digital products in Washington, Alaska and Canada. They include community weeklies, daily newspapers (including The Daily Herald) and bi-weeklies in Snohomish, Island, San Juan, King, Kitsap, Grays Harbor and Okanogan counties.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623;
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