Journalists at the Democrat and Chronicle continued to walk the picket line on Sunday outside the newspaper’s East Main Street Headquarters in downtown Rochester.
There are two dozen staffers at the D & C who walked off the job early Saturday, after they were unable to come to terms on a new contract, something they say they’ve been fighting for since their last pact expired in 2019.
The reporters are represented by The NewsGuild of New York, and the union decided to strike just before the total eclipse, an event which normally would mean an all hands on deck situation for any newsroom.
Susan DeCarava is president of the NewsGuild, and she said this job action has been building for a while now.
“The issue is Gannett’s unwillingness to pay reporters and photographers and producers and videographers, all the people that make the Democrat and Chronicle what it is, a living wage,” said DeCarava. “They've been underpaid for years.”
Among the reporters picketing on Sunday was Tina MacIntyre-Yee, a multimedia journalist at the newspaper. She said that she’s committed to continuing the strike as long as necessary.
“I'll be out here until it happens until we get a fair contract,” said MacIntyre-Yee. “It's not like we're asking for the moon. We're asking for people who've been underpaid to be paid a living wage. I mean, some people who've been here for 30 years or more, have barely seen a raise. It’s a sin, how much they're being paid.”
Gannett released a statement last week saying that they wanted to continue to bargain in good faith and the company contends there will be no disruption to its ability to deliver news content. The company did not update that statement over the weekend.
DeCarava said the union has been willing to meet with Gannett management to discuss the contract dispute, but she indicated that up to this point, there hasn’t been enough movement on key issues which include areas including wages and job security.
DeCarava said the union, along with private donations, are trying to help provide some financial support for the striking journalists.
