Albany Newspaper Guild

04/17/2026

News Union Strong Podcast: Breaking Their Silence After 17 Years New York State AFL-CIO 16 Apr, 2026 Social share icons For 17 years, the journalists and media workers of the Albany Newspaper Guild have been working without a contract at the Times Union.They haven’t spoken about their fight public...

04/12/2026

Please join us at our picket. We have gone 17 years without a contract. We can no longer wait. NewsGuild-CWA New York State AFL-CIO

04/06/2026

Thank you CSEA Organizing for promising not to sign a print contract with Hearst before they settle a contract with NewsGuild-CWA.

03/27/2026

In the last few days, three Guild leaders were unfairly disciplined by management. One member was fired in what we see as an unwarranted, retaliatory action

While we are angry, we are not fearful. We will stand strong together and fight back. When we do, the company quakes, thus their recent actions

It’s a also good time to remind not just our members, but anyone of what their protections are under national labor law:

✅ You can organize members to join a union or take action against your employer
✅ You can engage in concerted actions like complaining, picketing, petitioning, walking out and striking
✅ If you’re a union member, you have Weingarten rights that provide a union representative when you expect to be disciplined by a manager
✅ You are safe from retaliation and coercion from the company including being fired for union activity

03/20/2026

On Thursday, we presented Times Union publisher George Hearst with a petition signed by Albany Newspaper Guild members requesting staff be allowed to work from home during asbestos remediation in our building, as well as provide the Guild with results of all air monitoring

The building is currently undergoing asbestos abatement until what is expected to be April 8. Our concern remains that one worker or equipment error could expose employees to potential asbestos-related diseases years later. Letting our members work from home full-time until the abatement is done would put many at ease. It’s a simple ask

Stay tuned for more from us on this and our (still!) ongoing contract negotiations ✊🗞️

03/19/2026

Just a friendly reminder for some of our management at the TU:

"Wearing union insignia, whether a button or a t-shirt, is a critical form of protected communication. For many decades, employees have used insignia to advocate for their workplace interests from supporting organizing campaigns, to protesting unfair conditions in the workplace and the law has always protected them."

Source:

Today, the National Labor Relations Board issued a decision in Tesla, Inc., in which the Board overruled Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 368 NLRB No.

03/16/2026

Members meeting set for April 8

The annual membership meeting of the Albany Newspaper Guild, Local 31034, TNG-CWA has been called for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The meeting will be held via Zoom. At this meeting, members can share their ideas on how to best pressure the company to settle the contract once and for all. All suggestions are welcomed. We will also update members of the board's activities to make it happen. The monthly Executive Board meeting will follow. The agenda for the meeting will be posted the week prior.

The annual membership meeting of the Albany Newspaper Guild, Local 31034, TNG-CWA has been called for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The meeting will be held via Zoom. At this meeting, members can share their ideas on how to best pressure the company to settle the contract once and for all.

03/16/2026

Hearst has continued to reject our proposal for contractual wage increases for all.

This is despite the fact the Journalism Sustainability Act our Guild helped pass gives the company a $320,000 a year tax credit for the next three years. And despite the fact Hearst is able to regularly make substantial donations, such as to workforce housing in the Adirondacks. And despite the fact CEO Steve Swartz boasted Heast’s year-to-year revenues were up 3% to $13.5 billion.

Yes, billion. Clearly, the company cannot claim poverty.

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/communities/housing/adirondack-workforce-housing-accelerate-initiative/
https://www.hearst.com/-/2025-annual-letter-from-steve-swartz

02/27/2026

The latest from the Albany Newspaper Guild: Hearst dodges making a proposal — again

We had yet another frustrating bargaining session Thursday. The company declined to discuss any topics without seeing a comprehensive proposal from us. Except we **did** provide a proposal in November, one detailing many tentative agreements as well as sections that still need work.

Since on-the-record bargaining resumed in July, the company has failed to make one single proposal on the record. We believe Hearst is trying to delay making a deal. They used this same tactic with our Guild siblings in Austin — basically saying we are confusing them with too many pieces of paper.

At the same time Hearst is stalling on a fair contract with regular raises, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Journalism Sustainability Act is offering New York news outlets hefty tax credits for hiring and retaining reporters. The Times Union is eligible for **$320,000 a year**
What are we going to do about this? We are using our frustrations to expand our public campaign. We received a wealth of support at our last picket, and we plan on securing even more.

We’ll keep you all posted on our progress and what our next move will be✊

02/13/2026

From Variety: More than 400 Writers Guild of America, East members at 29 Hearst Magazine publications are ready to strike if Hearst fails to reach a fair contract today, the last day of scheduled bargaining

This includes publications like Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar and Good Housekeeping

While we hope Hearst is willing to come to the table with a fair contract, we are ready to stand by our Hearst siblings — offering our support and not crossing the digital picket line✊🪧

More than 400 union employees at 29 Hearst Magazine publications are ready to hit the picket lines if the the Writers Guild of America East and the company fail to reach a 'fair contract' on Feb. 13.

02/04/2026