The reporters, photographers and news assistants of The Bulletin and The Redmond Spokesman announced Friday the formation of the Central Oregon NewsGuild to secure the future of sustainable local journalism.
Nearly 80 percent of eligible employees signed union authorization cards and a mission statement organizers presented to Bulletin and Spokesman Publisher and EO Media COO Heidi Wright. The union seeks voluntary recognition by EO Media Group, the parent company of the newspapers.
“To do good, robust journalism requires resources. It requires the space, the time, the support,” said Bulletin Public Safety Reporter and SPJ Oregon Board Member Bryce Dole. “Our community deserves thorough reporting from a healthy newsroom. The company should recognize us.”
The Central Oregon NewsGuild will be represented by The NewsGuild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America and the largest union of journalists and media workers in North America. The newsroom union will be the only in EO Media’s current portfolio of newspapers and the second in Oregon.
“As an early career journalist, my biggest priority is stability in the workplace. EO Media Group is the first company I have worked at for over a year without being laid off or having to quit due to extenuating circumstances,” said Redmond Spokesman reporter Joe Siess. “So, my goal is to stay and grow with my paper for the foreseeable future, but to do that I need to feel secure both monetarily and in the longevity of my position.”
The 14 journalists seeking union recognition cite the skyrocketing cost of living in Central Oregon and the uncertainty of local journalism jobs as key reasons behind their organizing drive. They say the growth of the newspapers through economic challenges is a result of the hard work of the journalists reporting community news every day.
