Guild Files NLRB Charges Over Retaliatory Firings after Drive

Responding to the retaliatory firings last week of 29 northern California newspaper workers who had just formed a new bargaining unit, The Newspaper Guild-CWA this week filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

The workers, including one of the chief union organizers and newly elected unit chair Sara Steffens, are among 230 members at nine East Bay area newspapers now represented by the Northern California Media Workers Guild. The papers are owned by Denver-based MediaNews.  The workers voted for representation on June 13.

"I think they wanted me out of the newsroom," said Steffens, a long-time, award-winning reporter for the Contra Costa Times. "They wanted to keep me from continuing to engage co-workers as we push for our first contract and they hoped this would send a message to scare people away from further union activity. But they made a big mistake -- so far it's only made our newsroom understand why it's important to have a contract to protect us."

TNG-CWA Representative Carl Hall said the union plans to present evidence to the NLRB showing a "clear pattern of anti-union discrimination" against the bargaining unit. At least 20 of the 29 who were fired had been visibly supportive of the Guild organizing. No active opponents of the organizing effort were let go.