Journalists at the Courier-Journal in Louisville voted on Friday to affiliate with the Indianapolis chapter of the NewsGuild union, a member union of the Communications Workers of America. The vote was 22-4.
The NewsGuild was founded in 1933, and today has over 25,000 members across 200 media organizations. (The journalists at the Lexington Herald-Leader were already members.)
"We are beyond thrilled to announce we overwhelmingly voted in favor of unionizing on a 22-4 vote," the C J Guild tweeted immediately after the vote. "We won." The tweet included a photo of a notepad with a handwritten tally.
KY AFL-CIO welcomes C-J members
In a story posted on the KY AFL-CIO web site, state president Bill Londrigan shared his congratulations to the newly-formed union.
“We congratulate the workers at the Louisville Courier-Journal who have recognized that a collective voice is what’s needed when dealing with a major corporation like Gannett. The Kentucky State AFL-CIO and its member unions stand in solidarity with the Courier-Journal workers not only in organizing, but also in focusing their efforts to get a fair contract.”
Tim Morris, executive director of the Greater Louisville Central Labor Council, had this to say: “The Greater Louisville Central Labor Council is proud of these journalists who took a courageous stand to change their lives for the better and create a better workplace at the Courier-Journal. We will continue to support these workers through their contract negotiations with the Courier-Journal.”
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