Bradenton Herald newsroom staff votes in favor of union representation

Journalists at the Bradenton Herald voted in favor of having a union represent newsroom staffers, according to the official ballot count held Tuesday at the National Labor Relations Board office in Tampa.

The vote was 6-2 in favor of recognition of Bradenton Herald NewsGuild. The result came after eligible staff members cast their ballots during an election.

“The Bradenton Herald and McClatchy commend our colleagues whose efforts to form a union have succeeded,” said Marc R. Masferrer, president and editor of the Bradenton Herald. “We recognize that it’s not an easy time to be a journalist and we value the tremendous work produced by these hard-working reporters, especially in these unprecedented times.

“We will immediately form our bargaining team and look forward to working collaboratively with the News Guild - CWA to advance this process and ensure a strong future for local journalism in Bradenton and Florida.”

“We look forward to receiving our accreditation in the days ahead so that we can begin negotiating a fair contract with to not only improve our working conditions, but preserve and improve local journalism in Bradenton,” Bradenton Herald NewsGuild said on Twitter.

The effort to unionize is part of a national movement as newsrooms face financial pressures in the midst of a digital transformation. The Bradenton Herald is part of 30 news outlets owned by McClatchy.

Bradenton Herald NewsGuild is a new unit of The NewsGuild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America with headquarters in Washington, D.C.

This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 3:22 PM.