Newsroom Staff at Columbus Dispatch Join the NewsGuild-CWA

Last month, staffers at The Columbus Dispatch in Columbus, Ohio, voted 33-5 to form a union with the NewsGuild-CWA. Newsroom staff sent a clear message of overwhelming solidarity to management at the USA TODAY Co., formerly called Gannett, the largest daily newspaper chain in the country. Their union, the Dispatch News Guild, is represented by the Northeast Ohio NewsGuild-CWA Local 34001. They join several other NewsGuild newsrooms owned by the same company.

By forming a union, journalists are fighting for equitable pay, protections from layoffs, and the future of journalism in central Ohio. Members are calling on the USA TODAY Co. to immediately begin bargaining with the union. They are also demanding their employer cease blocking two of their colleagues from joining the union. USA TODAY Co. leadership and their attorney have argued that a grant-funded reporter and the newsroom assistant should not be allowed to join the union, despite being valued members of the newsroom. The Dispatch News Guild will continue to fight for their colleagues’ inclusion.

“The employees of The Dispatch are seizing this moment to fight for a work culture and the job benefits that we deserve,” said Adam Cairns, a Dispatch photojournalist who celebrated 20 years with the company last month. “We can no longer afford to sit back and wait for these changes to happen on their own.”

Congratulations to the members of the Dispatch News Guild!