The Los Angeles Times Guild
Who we are
We are a majority of the journalists in the newsroom of the Los Angeles Times.
What we aim to do
Our mission is to safeguard the future of the Los Angeles Times and its journalists.
How we will do it
By forming a union and working together.
The Los Angeles Times is an essential institution. As journalists, we take enormous pride in the award-winning work we produce: investigating corruption, covering the communities we live in and, at times, putting our lives on the line to bring the news to our readers.
Our work is the core of the Los Angeles Times, and we deserve a seat at the table in decisions affecting our pay, benefits and working conditions. That’s why we are forming a union with the NewsGuild, the national organization that represents our peers at The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, as well as Reuters, Tronc’s Baltimore Sun and and many others.
What we aim to achieve
When we negotiate a contract, we have two goals:
1) Keep the benefits and working conditions we like, and codify them in a legally binding document so Tronc can’t change them unilaterally.
2) Get a better deal on the things we don’t like. A lot goes into a contract, and this list is not complete, but we’d like to negotiate:
- Annual, guaranteed pay increases commensurate with those enjoyed by our peers at other major news organizations.
- More competitive salaries across the board.
- A return to our accrued vacation policy and a better parental leave policy.
- Lower health premiums.
- Fair pay for women and minorities in the newsroom.
- Structured pay tiers for new hires, with guaranteed pay increases for several years.
- An end to at-will employment. Most union contracts require terminations be for “just cause” and establish a formal grievance procedure to ensure employee rights are protected.
- Fair notice of layoffs, and negotiated severance packages that are guaranteed, with laid-off employees given first crack at filling new job openings.
Those guarantees, benefits and rights are common at companies represented by the Guild. We will pursue them at the bargaining table, where the company will be required by law to negotiate in good faith.
Our bargaining team will consist of members of the newsroom you select, along with professional Guild negotiators who work with our counterparts at The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. No decision about contracts, salaries, benefits or working conditions is made without a vote of all the members of our bargaining unit.