L.A. Times journalists vote to authorize newsroom’s first open-ended strike

Los Angeles, Calif. — An overwhelming majority of Los Angeles Times journalists have voted to authorize their union’s leaders to call a strike if such a step is necessary to reach a new contract. 

Eighty-five percent of the Los Angeles Times Guild, the union that represents reporters, editors, designers, photographers and other journalists at the West Coast’s largest newspaper, voted this week to support the strike. Just over 200 workers — 98% percent of the union’s members — took part in the historic vote.

The large margin gives the Guild’s unit council and bargaining team the authority to call for a work stoppage. A strike has not been scheduled.

Times management and the newsroom union, a unit of Media Guild of the West (The NewsGuild-CWA Local 39213), have been bargaining over a new contract for more than three grueling years. During that period, the newspaper has endured multiple rounds of layoffs and buyouts, leaving the Guild with slightly more than 200 members, down from about 450 in 2022. 

“These negotiations have dragged on for far too long, and today’s vote results show that our members are fed up,” said Matt Hamilton, chair of the L.A. Times Guild and an investigative reporter. “Now is the time for management to come to the table with a proposal that is truly fair for our members and helps restore The Times.”

The newsroom’s remaining journalists have gone four years without a cost-of-living increase, even as inflation pushed the cost of food, rent, healthcare and other essentials steadily upward. 

Jason Armond, a photojournalist at The Times and chair of the Guild’s Black Caucus, called for  a contract that protects jobs and respects the craft of photojournalists as well as all colleagues who produce The Times’ essential, fact-based journalism.

“Our photographs tell the story of Los Angeles in all its beauty and complexity, from the chaos of wildfires and unrest, to the joy of championships and the serenity of sun-drenched beaches,” Armond said. “That work deserves stability and fair compensation. A new contract is vital to maintaining a strong newsroom.” 

During the protracted negotiations, the Guild accused the company of trying to intimidate Guild members out of participating in collective bargaining or other union activities, filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. In April, the NLRB found the Guild’s allegations had merit and issued a complaint against The Times. A hearing is scheduled for next year. 

The newspaper’s journalists are also fighting to preserve existing layoff protections and guardrails to prevent work from being outsourced to third-party companies and non-union labor. 

“Without these protections, reporters like myself would not be able to create long-term meaningful relationships with the communities we cover,” said Karen Garcia, co-chair of the Los Angeles Times Latino Caucus and breaking news reporter.

L.A. Times journalists formed the union in early 2018, when the newsroom was owned by Tronc, now known as Tribune Publishing. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotech billionaire, purchased The Times soon afterward, telling the newspaper’s staff that they would receive “the tools and resources to produce the high-quality journalism that our readers need and rely upon.”

Soon-Shiong and the Guild negotiated their first three-year contract the following year. The groundbreaking agreement increased starting salaries while also providing three consecutive years of raises. The contract also provided new job protections and placed limits on increases in employee healthcare premiums. 

“We’re fighting for our livelihood, for our community and for our owner’s investment,” said Bill Shaikin, co-chair of the Guild’s bargaining committee and a veteran sports columnist. “Unfortunately, in a moment when several other news outlets are expanding into Los Angeles, management at The Times continues to make bargaining proposals that risk devaluing the brand and, in turn, the owner’s investment.”

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Media Guild of the West is a local union of The NewsGuild-CWA, representing roughly 700 journalists and news workers at the L.A. Times, Arizona Republic, Dallas Morning News, and other outlets across Southern California, Arizona and Texas.