• by Ray Schultz , November 17, 2024

Journalists in 11 Southern California newsrooms have ratified a contract with Alden Global Capital, averting a strike.   

Of the employees represented, 93% voted for ratification. 

The vote followed two years of negotiations and a vote in September, in which over 94% voted in favor of a strike.  

The new agreement provides for a 6% raise over two years for all members. Those with many years of service and have been underpaid could see raises topping 48%.

In addition, it provides layoff protections in inverse order of seniority. In addition, at-will employment is eliminated by new just cause protections. 

“The gains in this contract will be life changing to Guild members, especially those at the bottom of the pay scale,” says Charlie Vargas, reporter and member of the Guild’s contract actions team. “Some of those people are veteran colleagues who have not received a raise in over a decade.”

The publications include the Orange County Register, the L.A. Daily News and the Long Beach Press-Telegram.