Digital Producers at Gannett Unionize with The NewsGuild of New York

06/01/2021

Digital Producers at Gannett Unionize with The NewsGuild of New York

For Immediate Release: June 1, 2021
Contact: communications@nyguild.org 

Digital Producers at Gannett Unionize with The NewsGuild of New York 

New York -- Digital producers on Gannett's Atlantic Digital Optimization Team (DOT) have formed a union with the NewsGuild of New York, CWA Local 31003 to advocate for themselves, their profession and the communities they serve. These employees work across a five-state region that comprises 37 websites in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

Digital producers’ main responsibility is preparing articles and multimedia content for online readers. They design the visual flow of stories, create graphics for social media, craft headlines, optimize content for search engines and curate readers’ experience with news through social media, website management and delivering alerts and newsletters. In short, a producer’s job is to prioritize the reader.

Journalism, at its core, is about serving readers and making sure all voices — especially underrepresented voices — are heard. At Gannett, producers have witnessed restructuring, layoffs and furloughs within their newsrooms, and are continually challenged to meet mounting corporate demands to boost readership and revenue with fewer and fewer resources. Those who have survived these cuts have found it harder to do their jobs and the mounting pressure has hurt retention. As Atlantic DOT producer Jessica Limonchi phrases it: "When you gut newsrooms, they bleed."  

In late 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, producers across the five-state region were “invited” to reapply for their jobs to join the regionalized restructure. They have now come together as the Atlantic DOT Guild to protect their jobs and rectify pay inequity. By fighting for more resources, better benefits and a voice in the company, producers can better serve readers. 

“For many of us, organizing as the Atlantic DOT Guild is about dignity, in one way or another. For me personally, it’s not just to fight for fair pay in relation to the ever-growing list of responsibilities falling on the shoulders of an increasingly weary production team; it’s also about advocating for the work we do and to underscore just how valuable it is,” said digital producer Jack McLoone. “This plane doesn’t fly, so to speak, without producers, and yet we have very little agency as to what that flight path looks like. We’re overworked and yes, underpaid, and that comes at the ultimate expense of a worse experience for our readers. I’m immensely proud to be a part of the Atlantic DOT Guild as we continue to push for not just our dignity, but for producers and all employees Gannett-wide.”

“We, the members of the Atlantic DOT Guild, are proud to join the wave of unionization among newsrooms across the country. The formation of the Atlantic DOT Guild allows digital producers a seat at the table to discuss matters that affect us in and out of the newsroom,” said digital producer Jai-Leen James. “Local journalism is vital to the communities it serves and our union will allow us the opportunity to elevate its methods of distribution to better reach readers. Additionally, the Atlantic DOT Guild will advocate for the working conditions of digital journalists who join the Gannett ranks in the future.”

Producers understand the value of journalists' work and want to present their best work to the public; by fighting for fairness and protection on the job and demanding more resources for local news, the Atlantic DOT Guild can make sure communities will be better represented and informed. 

“Today we proudly welcome the Atlantic DOT digital producers into our union,” said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York. “They are fighting to establish newsroom baselines for fair pay, job security and greater investment in ensuring reader access to the vital and necessary journalism they produce. We look forward to a swift recognition process from the company so that we can get to the table and bargain a collaborative contract.” 

The mission statement from the Atlantic DOT Guild:

Digital producers for Gannett news sites across the Atlantic region have formed a union with the NewsGuild of New York to address issues that affect us all: We feel unheard, overworked and undervalued. 

Many of us were “invited” to reapply for jobs amid a pandemic, furloughs and layoffs as the company restructured its digital production into the Atlantic Digital Optimization Team (DOT). This sudden restructuring, which meant compounded responsibilities and an overall increase in workload, did not come with a commensurate increase in pay or job security, leaving us uncertain about our jobs and our future with the company. We have voiced our concerns and made suggestions to management, but they have gone unacknowledged. We are forming a union to advocate for fairness, equity, transparency and job protections, and to build a more stable future for ourselves and our profession. 

By recognizing our union now and beginning negotiations in good faith, Gannett can demonstrate that it respects us and we can create an example for digital operations company-wide. 

Signed the members of the Atlantic DOT Guild: 

Melanie Balakit, Maria Birnell, Ryan Miller, Jackee Coe, Lanette Espy, Joseph Jacquez, Jai-Leen James, Jessica Limonchi, Elizabeth Lombardi, Brian Marron, Jack McLoone, Paula Ramirez, Sharon Rhodes, Hartriono B. Sastrowardoyo, Nick Siano, Adrian Szkolar, Bill Wolcott 

Follow: @a_dotguild

Learn more: nyguild.org,  atlanticdotguild.org

ABOUT THE NEWSGUILD OF NEW YORK The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of the Communications Workers of America, is a labor union representing nearly 4,000 media professionals and other employees at New York area news organizations, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Thomson Reuters, The Nation, BuzzFeed News, TIME, PEOPLE, Wirecutter, and The Daily Beast. The NewsGuild of New York advocates for journalists to have a voice in the newsroom, for press freedom, for inclusive and diverse workplaces, and for just cause, no exceptions, for all media professionals.

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