Los Angeles Times Votes to Unionize


fourth estate newIn 1910, the then-anti-union Los Angeles Times was bombed by labor activists. On Friday, the Times voted to unionize with an 85% victory. The union drive launched in October, voted earlier in January, and had the votes counted by the National Labor Relations Board earlier Friday.

Employees at the Times voted 248-44 to unionize and will now be represented by the NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America. One of the next steps for the Times’s workers will be to find volunteers for a negotiating committee.

“We respect the outcome of the election and look forward to productive conversations with union leadership as we move forward,” parent company Tronc said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring that the Los Angeles Times is a leading source for news and information and to producing the award-winning journalism our readers rely on.”

“We are beyond thrilled with the vote results! The vote was 248 to 44 — that’s 85% yes! This gives us a strong mandate moving forward — protecting the rights and working conditions of journalists at The Times,” Carolina Miranda of the Times’s organizing guild said in an email. “And it means that for the first time since the Los Angeles Times debuted in 1881, our journalists will be represented by a union. It’s a historic day for us, for The Times and for Los Angeles. We could not be prouder.”

“And we could not be more thankful for the support given to us by our colleagues, who saw the need to come together and demand a seat at the table.”

A memo sent to the employees by the organizing committee after the vote said that leadership elections will be held in the next several weeks.

“The media landscape is changing, with the demands of private profiteers pushing against the hallowed traditions of quality journalism,” NewsGuild President Bernie Lunzer. “The journalists of the L.A. Times are taking control of their own future.”


About Tyler

Tyler is the chief media reporter for TKNN, with the news organization since its founding in November of 2010. He has previously served as chief political reporter and chief political anchor for TKNN.

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