REGION — Journalists from several Southern California newspapers and publications have voted to authorize a strike if union leaders deem it necessary.
The Southern California News Group Guild, a union under the Media Guild of the West, announced that about 94% of its 125 members across 11 newsrooms voted in favor of a strike against its owner, New York-based investment firm Alden Global Capital.
The union called the strike authorization vote primarily to secure better wages for the journalists it represents, which includes those at the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Daily News.
According to the guild, the vote marked the first time journalists in an Alden Global-owned newsroom have authorized an open-ended strike. While union members are not yet on strike, the vote signals what could happen if bargaining negotiations break down.
“It’s a big warning light,” said Charlie Vargas, a guild member and reporter at the Press-Enterprise in Riverside. “It shows management that we are serious about this.”
The union claims Alden Global “has engaged in unfair labor practices and stall tactics” during negotiations, with many reporters going 10 years or longer without a raise.
In 2022, the union conducted an internal study that showed four out of five guild members would be considered low-income under the state Department of Housing and Urban Development, with more than one in 10 considered very low-income.
“Veteran reporters who have been here over a decade still haven’t had a cost-of-living adjustment,” Vargas told The Coast News. “There are also the new folks coming in who want to build their career but can’t because they aren’t able to afford to do this job.”
Vargas and fellow guild member Destiny Torres have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise emergency funds for journalists who may strike. The two had previously organized an online fundraiser for a similar cause during a one-day walkout last December.
“This vote should serve as a wake-up call for management who, for more than two and a half years, has failed to offer acceptable wages and benefits,” said Sean Emery, an SCNG reporter and guild unit chair. “The patience of our members is wearing thin. They are tired of struggling to survive on low wages that have remained stagnant for years. They are tired of waiting more than a decade for raises that never come. We are dedicated to covering our communities. But we will not stand by and watch the leaders of our company drag their feet when it comes to offering a fair contract.”
The Southern California News Group is a subsidiary of MediaNews Group, a Denver-based company owned by Alden Global. Known in the industry as a “vulture fund” and “the destroyer of newspapers,” Alden Global owns more than 200 daily newspapers and has a reputation for cutting costs and staff to boost profits.
Last year, Alden Global purchased the San Diego Union-Tribune in a controversial sale by L.A. Times owner and billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.
The Private Equity Stakeholder Project reports that Alden Global has recently expanded into the mobile home sector, spending over $275 million to acquire more than 10,000 manufactured housing lots over the past four years. During this time, rents in several of these lots have increased by 10% to 50%.
“At a time when our communities need good journalism more than ever, our own company’s greed is making it impossible for us to do our jobs. We are fed up,” said Mindy Schauer, a photojournalist for SCNG and a member of the guild’s bargaining committee. “I urge the public to stand with us so we can continue telling their stories.”
SCNG journalists unionized in 2021, joining the Media Guild of the West, a Los Angeles-based affiliate of The NewsGuild-CWA. The strike authorization vote follows more than two years of negotiations over an initial contract.
Vargas said negotiations between union representatives and the company were still ongoing as of Oct. 7.
“Alden Global Capital still thinks paying less than $20 an hour is an acceptable wage for reporters serving hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians,” said Matt Pearce, president of Media Guild of the West, which also represents journalists at the Los Angeles Times. “SCNG journalists and news workers have overwhelmingly authorized a strike to help Alden get with the times by agreeing to a fair contract with a fair wage. We also don’t think Gov. Gavin Newsom and our state lawmakers should give a cent of taxpayer money to large employers like Alden Global Capital unless these employers have agreed to a fair contract. Public dollars shouldn’t support news companies that don’t support their own journalists and news workers.”
Southern California News Group oversees the following publications: the Orange County Register, LA Daily News, Press-Enterprise, The Sun, Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Press-Telegram, Pasadena Star-News, Redlands Daily Facts, Whittier Daily News, and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
