Eastbay Journalists Form Union

Newspaper Journalists at MediaNews Unionize

A majority of newsroom workers at the largest newspaper company in the Bay Area have voted to create a new unit of The Newspaper Guild-CWA. The election capped a nine-month organizing drive by news workers at properties including the Oakland Tribune and Contra Costa Times owned by Denver-based MediaNews Group.

Last August MediaNews withdrew recognition from the previous union, the 20-year-old Guild unit at ANG Newspapers, which included the Oakland Tribune and four other East Bay dailies. In response, journalists across the East Bay came together to create the new union, dubbing the campaign "One Big BANG: One Guild Universe." (See http://onebigbang.org) Their new Guild unit will be represented by the Northern California Media Workers Guild for collective bargaining on pay, benefits and work conditions.

Especially considering layoff trends in the industry, due to Internet competition and increased energy costs, it should come as no surprise that journalists are voting in unions.