Credit: Bradenton Herald NewsGuild

Credit: Bradenton Herald NewsGuild

UPDATED: 04/06/20 2:40 p.m.

As newsrooms across the country continue getting wrecked by the fallout surrounding the global coronavirus pandemic, staffers at the Bradenton Herald have announced plans to unionize.

A release from the Bradenton Herald NewsGuild says, “The staff demands that McClatchy recognize local journalism for what it is, a community necessity — particularly during this global pandemic.”

The guild told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that it has not officially unionized yet as is asking parent company McClatchy—which just put paywalls back up around certain content related to the coronavirus—to recognize it voluntarily.

“To be clear, today we're announcing our campaign to unionize. We haven't voted yet,” the guild added. “When it comes to a vote, we can be sure to let you know the tally!”

“The Bradenton Herald has served readers since 1922, and it’s time for the company to invest in our mission so that we can continue to serve our community,” said Jessica DeLeon, reporter. “Together we’ll negotiate a fair contract to improve our working conditions, strengthen our newspaper and allow us to meet the challenges we face in these difficult times.” 

Reporter Ryan Callihan added that in the newsroom—where only eight staff members remain—editors have been laid off and reporting positions have been frozen. Callihan said six staffers have signed on to support the union.

“McClatchy’s unwillingness to fill empty positions and to help staff provide our communities with vital information is unacceptable,” Callihan said.

In February, McClatchy announced a voluntary restructuring under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In the face of the bankruptcy, the Bradenton Herald’s president and editor, Marc R. Masferrer, said that the paper is “here to stay.”

In February, Orlando Sentinel staff unionized to battle what it called its new “vulture capitalist” owners, Tribune Publishing.

The Bradenton area's other paper—the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, which is owned by GateHouse—unionized in 2016.

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This article appears in Apr 2-9, 2020.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...