The Guild enjoyed a night off from fighting for a fair contract last week watching the Sox beat the Yankees 🎉

The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism (@thebaltimorebanner.com) has begun its ownership of the @post-gazette.com by cutting at least 40% of staff, and 80% of former strikers. It is sad, vindictive, and does not bode well for what we’ve fought and hoped for, including the success of the PG.

1/ Happy International Workers' Day to all our fellow workers and unions! ✊ ICYMI, our bargaining unit exercised our collective power to walk out on a one-day strike last month, as we fight for a fair contract.

Happy International Worker's Day! Chicago is a union town and we are proud to be a part of the long history of solidarity that won us our rights. For May Day, we keep up the tradition of many before us as we continue to fight for a fair contract and stand in solidarity with others doing the same.

The Sun-Times Guild and WBEZ’s SAG-AFTRA are UNION STRONG in our fights for a fair contract. We stand together in our respective fights for the pay, protections and assurances the union workers who bring you Chicago’s headlines — online, on the radio and in print — deserve.

Officials have released footage showing the fatal shooting of Krystal Rivera following months of work covering the case by Peter Nickeas, @ctoner.bsky.social and our friends in @cstguild.bsky.social. Another example of invaluable work made by our members.

Our members are on the picket line today demanding a fair contract now! We want a fair disciplinary process, layoff protections & guardrails on artificial intelligence. Support us by donating to our strike fund: www.gofundme.com/f/support-pr...

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

We, the staff at @thetriibe.com are unionizing. Please support us in our efforts and sign our petition. actionnetwork.org/letters/were...

onetriibeunited.bsky.social@onetriibeunited.bsky.social · 5mo ago

We’re forming a union to build a more sustainable and equitable newsroom that serves Chicago’s Black communities. ✨ You can support us by: Linktree Reading our mission statement ✅ Signing our petition ✅ Following us here and on Bluesky (@onetriibeunited) for updates ✅ Thanks for your support!

Good morning freaks & geeks! The Chicago Reader Union starts bargaining for our new contract today 🐀 🔥 Our members are united, dedicated, & strong. Follow along here & on Instagram (@chicagoreader.union) to learn how you can support us in the weeks to come.

Chicago’s fake spring may be coming to a close, but that just means it’s bargaining season! Today marked the start of negotiations to ensure Chicago Public Media respects and protects the Sun-Times Guild journalists bringing you hard-hitting local news.

Our thoughts are with our @ctguild.bsky.social siblings who are once again falling prey to the vultures at Alden Global Capital.

@ctguild.bsky.social · last yr.

Today, @chicagotribune.com laid off five guild staff members in a roughly 10% cut to our newsroom. These layoffs underscore a sad but unsurprising failure of leadership by Alden Global Capital, our hedge fund owner, and local management.

The CST Guild is aware of the third-party “summer guide” content in the May 18 edition of the Sun-Times newspaper. This was a syndicated section made externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom. We’re deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work.

Guild co-chair Nader Issa said employees have concerns about revenue strategies and were “disturbed” by the cuts, calling the buyouts “a dramatic downsizing.” “A lot of folks feel like the powers that be don’t have full familiarity with the Sun-Times,” added co-chair Mitch Armentrout.

Chicago Sun-Times to lose 20% of staff after buyout offer

Columnists, editorial writers and many more head for the exits as the paper's nonprofit owner, Chicago Public Media, deals with fiscal hardship.

chicago.suntimes.com

A sad day at work today. Relieved about no layoffs, but these 30 buyouts include 23 people from the newsroom. 💔 Support your local news outlets 🙏

Chicago Sun-Times@chicago.suntimes.com · last yr.

Thirty employees of the Chicago Sun-Times — around one in five on its payroll — have agreed to resign after a buyout offer. The departures primarily affect writers and editors, many of whom have extensive experience at the newspaper.

Our union received the bittersweet news today that there will not be any layoffs at the Chicago Sun-Times. But 16 beloved Guild members have taken buyouts, as have several non-union newsroom colleagues. This is the biggest hit to our newsroom in at least 12 years.

While I was unable to attend today's guild action at our offices in Navy Pier due to a drone assignment, I still stood in solidarity with my colleagues.

We're at Navy Pier today telling the CPM board to keep their promise of finding non-labor cuts to save public media and the people who make it. We’ve already seen so many talented colleagues let go. We say no more.

NO LAYOFFS AT THE @chicago.suntimes.com!!!!!!!!! Dozens off our @cstguild.bsky.social colleagues are taking buyouts. Now, Chicago Public Media is threatening to lay even more people off. We're at the CPM board meeting to say NO MORE JOB CUTS. We did our part — it's time for them to do theirs.

since we’re putting our #MugsUpForPublicMedia: a reminder that the folks at the Sun-Times (me included!) could be notified of layoffs tomorrow. to #ProtectPublicMedia, we need more journalists — not less! that’s why @cstguild.bsky.social is calling on the CPM board to find non-labor cuts.

Guild co-chair Nader Issa in @crainschicago.bsky.social today: "We lost enough people, we don't need to keep cutting our staff. … We've done our part. Now we need Chicago Public Media to do its part by securing more revenue and, if there needs to be cuts, cut non-labor areas in the budget."

Layoffs still on the table as Sun-Times, WBEZ buyout deadline passes

It appears the outlets' parent company hit its savings target — but that may not be enough.

chicagobusiness.com

THE TIMES IS UNION MADE: Today is the annual State of The Times. As @nytimes.com bosses extol the company’s success, our members from across the Times unions are handing out flyers to spread the word: There is no @nytimes.com without our members.

NEW: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shut down its Allegheny County print facility, eliminating 31 union jobs. Striking production & ad workers accepted a buyout—but newsroom journalists remain on strike. The fight for workers at PG is not over. (@cwaunion.bsky.social) cwa-union.org/news/release...

Struck Newspaper Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Closes Allegheny County Print Facility, Pays Out Striking Production Workers

Journalists and newsroom staff represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh (TNG-CWA Local 38061) remain on strike.

cwa-union.org

To protect public media we need more journalists in our newsroom — not fewer. #ProtectMyPublicMedia

We are appalled, but not surprised, by Condé Nast’s layoff of four union members last week, which marks the third time in less than a year that layoffs have impacted our union as well as many of our colleagues outside of the bargaining unit. (1/8)

We are losing a lot of talented journalists at the Chicago Sun-Times this month as we undergo a period of buyouts and possible layoffs. And I'm sad to see Ismael Perez leaving at a time when we need #morelatinosinnews -- Someone in Chicago says goodbye chicago.suntimes.com/someone-in-c...

Today Chicago Public Media is launching a pledge drive asking for donations to protect public media from threats to independent journalism. With more buyouts this week and potential layoffs as soon as next week, we want CPM to do its part by finding non-labor cuts and creative revenue solutions.

We’re the Chicago Sun-Times Guild, a union that’s been around for decades to protect the future of the Sun-Times newsroom and our dozens of members who have kept it running. We’ve already seen many colleagues head out the door in the past few weeks. And we’re worried that more could soon follow.