Unionized reporters at the Democrat and Chronicle have gone on strike.
The two dozen staffers who are members of the News Guild of New York went on strike as of midnight Friday after they were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with the paper’s owner, Gannett. They first announced the strike on X (formerly Twitter).
We are on STRIKE!
— Newspaper Guild of Rochester (@rocnewsguild) April 6, 2024
The @rocnewsguild and @DandC deserve better from @Gannett than the value they've placed on us.
Join us in supporting local journalism and the people who make it. #faircontractnow
The reporters have been without a contract since the last one expired in 2019.
A statement released by the union on Saturday morning said that the journalists are protesting “unfair labor practices by Gannett” and demanding a “living wage and basic protections on the job” including protections from the misuse of AI.
The strike in Rochester came at the same time journalists at another Gannett paper, the Austin American-Statesman, also launched a strike over similar issues.
Gary Craig, a criminal justice reporter at the D&C said in a statement that, “Our work is what drives the success of the Democrat & Chronicle and Gannett, and we have no willingness to settle for less than we’re worth.”
He added that, “We know Gannett has the money, and we’re willing to fight as long and as hard as it takes to win what we deserve.”
The strikes come just before the total solar eclipse on April 8. Both Rochester and Austin, Texas are in the path of totality.
Gannett did not have a new statement on the union’s action on Saturday, but referred to a statement released earlier in the week.
Amy Garrard, Vice President of Labor Relations at Gannett, issued this statement on Wed. afternoon:
“Our goal is to preserve journalism and serve our community as we continue to bargain in good faith. Democrat and Chronicle readers can be assured there will be no disruption to our ability to deliver content and trusted news.”
