• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

Hearst has been hit with unfair labor practice charges, stating that it has failed to negotiate newsroom contracts in good faith at three of its 30 or so newspapers, according to The NewsGuild-CWA.

The publications include Albany Times Union of Albany, New York, Austin American-Statesman of Austin Texas, and The Dallas Morning News of Dallas, Texas.

The NewsGuild -- which represents workers at the three dailies -- alleges that Hearst management has withheld information, intimidated employees and retaliated against them.

Hearst says it is committed to good faith bargaining and has “actively met with union representatives across our properties for years,” The Guardian reports. 

The complaints are as follows:

• Albany Times Union — The union alleges that Hearst backtracked on over a dozen contract proposals to which it had already agreed. “Hearst needs to end its unlawful tactics, including regressive bargaining and disciplining members for doing Guild business, and come to the table and negotiate in good faith," says Wendy Liberatore, the unit chair at the Albany Times Union.
• Austin American-Statesman — Hearst has undermined bargaining and retaliated against union employees, the union states. “It was extremely disappointing that when Hearst purchased the Austin American-Statesman, the company chose to toss away our existing contract, and disappointing now to observe how the company is treating us now that we’re negotiating a new one,” says Keri Heath, a reporter at the Austin American-Statesman.
• The Dallas Morning News — Workers claim management has failed to bargain fairly and refused to provide the union with necessary information. “It wasn’t always perfect with [prior owner] the Dallas News Corporation management, but we knew we could expect that they would honor their legal obligations to provide us with information,” says Smiley Pool, bargaining co-chair for The Dallas Morning News. “We had grown to expect that. It was alarming to us after the acquisition how challenging it can often become to get the most rudimentary information from Hearst.”

Liberatore adds: “A fair contract creates stability for journalists, which ensures the quality of the reporting our communities count on. We care deeply about this work and aim to safeguard historic news institutions through our efforts.”