AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Journalists at the Austin American-Statesman walked off the job Monday, as part of a nationwide strike against Gannett calling for better pay and benefits.
Two dozen newsrooms across the country are participating in the strike, which is taking place on the same day as Gannett's annual shareholder meeting. The larger NewsGuild organization called on shareholders to withhold their vote on Gannett CEO Mike Reed; despite the union's call, the company's board was duly elected at the meeting.
Locally, Statesman journalists are calling on Gannett to provide a wage floor of $60,000. Currently, reporters are paid a minimum of $42,000.
GateHouse Media purchased the paper from Cox Enterprises in 2018; GateHouse's parent company bought Gannett in a deal that closed in November 2019, taking the Gannett name for all of its publishing operations. The company owns USA Today along with more than 200 other daily U.S. newspapers, including the Statesman.
Workers say the Statesman newsroom has seen a series of job cuts since coming under GateHouse and Gannett ownership, losing 33% of its staff in just the past two years. Some of the changes have also been public-facing -
last March, the paper discontinued its Saturday print edition.
NewsGuild officials say they've been able to secure similar agreements with two other major newspapers in the state - a $55,000 wage floor for union members at the Dallas Morning News, and a $52,000 wage floor for union members at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Union members point to the average home price in the two markets - the average in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is $484,000, while the average in Austin is more than $560,000.
"Gannett must invest in its employees to save the future of the American-Statesman," according to a release from the Austin NewsGuild. "The guild has been negotiating for two years with the company, and we urge the company to stop stalling and work with union members toward a reasonable and fair contract."
Gannett officials said Monday's strike won't have an impact on the paper's ability to serve its readers. "Despite the work stoppage, there will be no disruption to the content or delivery of the Austin American-Statesman," a company statement reads. "Our goal is to preserve local journalism and serve our community as we bargain to finalize a contract that provides equitable wages and benefits for our valued employees."
