Nonprofit Journalists Vote to Unionize

Ruth McCambridge

July 21, 2011

July 20, 2011; Source: Poynter.org | Journalists at the Bay Citizen, a nonprofit news site started in 2010, have voted to unionize through the Pacific Media Workers Guild, Local 39521 of The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America – a first of its kind decision.

Prior to filing cards with the National Labor Relations Board the award winning editorial staff wrote the following in a letter to TBC: “We believe The Bay Citizen, as one of the pioneering exponents of new civic journalism, should also be a leading example in the area of workplace democracy.” There were 14 votes cast but two were challenged and remain unopened and the vote was 7 – 5.

Bernie Lunzer, International President of the Newspaper Guild in Washington termed the move an historic advance. “The future of quality journalism depends on reporters and editors shaping the vision of innovative new media organizations. By voting to be represented by the Guild, employees at The Bay Citizen have given themselves this voice.

This will certainly be an interesting situation on which to keep an eye.—Ruth McCambridge

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

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