9 months ago
Sen. John Fetterman on Friday expressed support for journalists who have taken to picket lines or have been laid off from their jobs in the past few weeks.
“A living wage and a fair contract are necessary to maintain a free press, and that's what we need to maintain a functioning democracy," Fetterman (D-Pa.) said in the statement.
His statement came a day after more than 200 journalists from the Chicago Tribune and seven other newsrooms staged 24-hour walkouts across the country on Thursday, demanding fair wages and contract negotiations. Fetterman specifically pointed to a local outlet that participated: the Morning Call in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, whose website calls it the "the third largest newspaper in Pennsylvania."
It wasn't the first media walkout of the year. Two weeks ago, members of the Los Angeles Times Guild walked out of newsrooms following an announcement from management about plans to lay off a “significant” portion of its journalists.
2024 has been off to a trying start for the news business. Over 500 journalists were laid off from newsrooms in January alone, according to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That number doesn't account for layoffs announced at The Messenger and The Wall Street Journal this week as well.
The Messenger announced plans to shut down on Wednesday — less than a year after its launch — with founder Jimmy Finkelstein citing financial difficulties. Fetterman took aim at the “billionaire owners of The Messenger" who "shut down the news site and fired hundreds of workers with zero notice."
Fetterman urged a resolution to ongoing contract negotiations.
"Management needs to stop dragging their feet and give these workers what they deserve," he added. "We’ve seen through the historic United Auto Workers deal, the SAG-AFTRA agreement, and so many other labor actions over the last year just how powerful workers can be when they stand together and demand their fair share."
The NewsGuild, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, represents journalists from media outlets including POLITICO.
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