(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago Reader staffers on Thursday protested outside the home of co-owner Len Goodman, calling on him to allow the paper to complete the move to non-profit after an argument over his column about vaccines stalled the transaction.
The demonstrators stood next to a giant inflatable rat, with some holding signs reading “Free the Reader” and “Let my paper go.”
Goodman wants more seats on the Reader’s board after a dispute over a column he wrote sharing concerns about vaccinating his daughter. The head of the employees union said that concession would risk the paper’s tax-exempt status with the IRS.
“We’re running out of money because we’re cut off from the revenue streams that a non-profit would add to the organization,” said Philip Montoro, the Reader’s music editor and head of its union.
Representatives from other labor organizations and their advocates voiced support for Reader staffers and said the publication has cultural value in Chicago.
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