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* Erratic, arrogant leaders who lay off staff and slash newsroom budgets while spending lavishly on themselves, and demeaning reporters and editors by forcing them to interview to keep their own jobs will often lead to this sort of thing. Even so, wow…
One of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious regional newspapers, The Chicago Tribune, could soon have a unionized staff. Wednesday morning, journalists from its newsroom informed management they are preparing to organize and they have collected signatures from dozens of colleagues.
This is a historic move at a paper that had for decades taken a hardline stance against unions.
The move will likely not go over well with its current corporate owner Tronc. Two months ago, the newspaper publishing company struck a deal to sell another venerable daily the Los Angeles Times, weeks after the paper’s journalists succeeded in unionizing its newsroom.
Journalists at the Tribune say the move will help them secure better pay and ensure they can fulfill the paper’s mission.
The Tribune always kept the union out of its hair by treating its people well. That era has ended.
You can learn more about the organizing attempt by clicking here.
…Adding… Check out the guild’s news page. Lots of shots at ownership.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:11 am
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Will be interesting to see how the union hating members of the trib editorial board react to this.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:15 am
Can they be in a Union and still uphold their duty to protect Rauner?
Comment by DuPage Bard Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:15 am
Union or not, it won’t the change the economics of the newspaper business.
The sooner these papers switch completely to digital and drastically reduce their distribution costs, the better.
Comment by Ole General Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:16 am
===it won’t the change the economics of the newspaper business===
Tronc makes plenty of money. The problem is, it spends that pile of cash on executives not on reporters.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:17 am
Would Hurricane Kristen be a member of the Tronc union? If so, that would be hilarious.
Comment by TominChicago Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:17 am
Solidarity, Trib reporters!
Here’s hoping your efforts to obtain better financial and career certainty and fairness are not undercut by wackjob antiunion ideologues on the edit board.
Comment by hisgirlfriday Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:19 am
Would be a delicious irony, as reporters unionize the Editorial Board continues to trash unions and force RTW as a real answer to labor.
I don’t worry about @StatehouseChick.
Outside New Orleans and Louisiana, she could go anywhere…
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:20 am
Fire up the Kristen McQueery I hate unions rhetoric in 4-3-2-1…
Comment by Obamas Puppy Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:24 am
Tribune’s printers were once in a union.
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:25 am
Great news and in the faces of the phony privileged ones who make good money here in Illinois, pay a lower state income tax than many neighboring states and cry propaganda tears about how terrible Illinois is. Where do Kass, Tronc and the Hurricane live, and why haven’t they left the state?
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:29 am
If you look at their goals, it reflects more than just a pay raise. This industry is dying and a union shop won’t change it (I am a 7 day a week full subscriber by the way). Nor will catering to the left leaning staff represented in the list of supporters. If they want a paper that is more diverse (as it is stated in their goals) then they should start their own. But as a regular reader there seem to be plenty of stories impacting all segments of Chicago.
Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:30 am
This could be the sleeper political story of the year.
Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:36 am
–Union or not, it won’t the change the economics of the newspaper business.–
Yet Ferro managed to sign himself to a $5 million a year, multi-year contract for “consulting.”
Takes overt displays of real money to play at Viagra Triangle dreamboat at his age.
I thought a serious organizing effort would have started after Zell robbed the ESOP to take the company private. Ferro has just continued the bust-out play.
The organizing committee list is very interesting as to who’s on it, and who’s not.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:37 am
Grandson, Illinois taxpayers have the highest tax burden of all the states it touches with the exception of Wisconsin with which it is tied
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:43 am
Didn’t some suggest this as more benign payback for how Rauner messed with the Sun-Times in ‘14? Fun times.
Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:43 am
I wish them well and hope for her sake that McQueary is part of the bargaining unit.
There is little doubt she is paid far, far less than John Kass while working twice as hard.
Comment by Juvenal Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:45 am
There are at least two members of the editorial board on the union organizing committee.
Comment by Reality Check Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:48 am
Did find it interesting that in the list of organizers, I did not recognize anyone from their Sports Department. This despite the layoff of several excellent sports writers in recent years.
Comment by Bogey Golfer Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:53 am
So will Tronc now sell the Tribune to Eisendrath?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:58 am
Seems like the rearranging of deck chairs on the Titanic.
Comment by SSL Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 9:58 am
I don’t think it’s hypocritical to both desire to be in a union and support “right to work” policies. In any case, public-sector unions are typically the target of the Tribune’s editorial board, and that issue isn’t implicated here.
Comment by Chris Widger Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:03 am
Other surrounding states with lower tax burdens are lower-income states. People who live in Chicago metro, for example, get a lot—great schools, incomes, roads, trains, airports, culture, food, archirecture, economic talent and great workers, sports, diversity, businesses, etc. I believe I’ve seen Chicago praised as far as business costs, compared with cities like New York and San Francisco. I think this is in Site Selection magazine, when we perennially win for most corporate relocations. Bruce praises Illinois then.
This costs money. I thought conservatives hate giving stuff away. We’ve not properly taxed the rich in Illinois.
So why haven’t Rauner, Hurricane, Kass, Trib editorial board and the rest of the privileged criers left Illinois? If you’re gonna keep going there, don’t be a hypocrite. Leave, already. Go to your low-tax paradise of Indiana.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:04 am
–Lots of shots at ownership.–
Very interesting development. LA Times editorial types laid down a marker. Denver Post is now taking on their owners, too.
Way brave and admirable, to take a stand and risk your job. Doesn’t get more real than that.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:10 am
===In any case, public-sector unions are typically the target of the Tribune’s editorial board, and that issue isn’t implicated here.===
Explain RTW Zones.
Thanks.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:11 am
–In any case, public-sector unions are typically the target of the Tribune’s editorial board, and that issue isn’t implicated here.–
That is some historical revisionism — like War of Northern Aggression revisionism.
Seriously, dude, how do you go there? For decades, on the editorial page and in business practices, the Trib has let its light shine on its hostility to all unions. It’s part of their brand identity, for crying out loud.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:17 am
==The tax burdens referenced are percentage of income. ==
Referenced where?
Comment by Whatever Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:20 am
Good for them.
Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:27 am
Hey Ron/Tone/Anonymous, stop posting about taxes in this thread. I’m tired of deleting you. This is a newspaper union story not a tax burden story. Also, I now know where you work. Stop spamming my blog. Last warning.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 10:40 am
Good for the staff. This is long overdue.
Comment by IRLJ Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 11:10 am
When anti-worker forces take over and push profits to execs in a harmful way, unionization is the remedy. It’s a parallel to this state and its anti-union governor who made lots of money from the “corrupt system.” Rauner couldn’t be a better example of why workers need unions.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 11:16 am
Ok, on topic. Though others brought up taxes.
Bad decision. Remember what happened to DNAifno when they’re reporters voted to unionize?
Comment by Ron Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 11:37 am
Should have started when Zell took over. Could this mean some balance to the approach taken to stories relating to unions or activities that include union workers ( i.e. GovJunk mumbo jumbo)
Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 11:49 am
DNA Info was hemorrhaging money. Only the New York branch organized, but it all was shut down.
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 11:51 am
Maybe, but the day after the unionization, ownership shut DNA down.
Comment by Ron Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 11:58 am
“Remember what happened to DNAifno when they’re reporters voted to unionize?”
You seriously believe the owners will shut down the Tribune?
Or do you think the Trib journalists should just lick the masters’ boots to stay on the safe side?
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 12:54 pm
- “The Chicago Tribune, could soon have a unionized staff.”
Actions speak louder than (written) words.
Comment by Chicago 20 Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 1:21 pm
As a former Tribune employee and someone who will collect a meager pension when I retire, I say GOOD for the journalists. It’s about time.
Comment by Honeybadger Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 1:53 pm
According to the L.A. Times Guild, Tronc pays white men way more than black women.
https://latguild.com/news/2018/4/11/its-in-the-data-tronc-underpays-women-and-people-of-color-at-the-la-times
Rauner’s public sector union attacks would disproportionally hurt African-Americans, who have the highest percentage of government workers. No wonder he filed for impasse on Dr. King’s birthday.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 3:08 pm
Tronc needs to take a walk through their own lobby:
“The struggle for freedom of speech has marched hand in hand in advance of civilization with the struggle for other great human liberties. History teaches that human liberty cannot be secured unless there is freedom to express grievances.”
Chief Justice Floyd E. Thompson
Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 3:29 pm
It’s still surprising that in Chicago they keep the paper non-union for as long as they have.
Comment by m Wednesday, Apr 11, 18 @ 3:49 pm
Rauner cheerleaders paying union dues, wild stuff
Comment by Rabid Thursday, Apr 12, 18 @ 7:53 am