ALLENTOWN, Pa.—Editorial staff at the Allentown Morning Call, the Lehigh Valley’s largest newspaper,
have joined the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America. The Morning Call Guild said staff were suffering from “stagnant pay, shrinking newsrooms and an ever-growing workload.” “We know unionizing doesn’t magically solve the problems with the news industry,” said reporter Michelle Merlin. “But it does give us our best shot at controlling and predicting our working conditions. We want a voice when decisions are made about our newsroom.” The Morning Call Guild said it would drop the request for an election it filed Feb. 25 with the National Labor Relations Board if the Tribune Publishing Company, the paper’s owners, agreed to recognize the union. Reporter Binghui Huang said 38 of the 48 reporters, photographers, and other newsroom staff eligible had signed union cards. The Morning Call has not had a union since 2004, when its previous NewsGuild local fell apart. News staff at the Hartford Courant, which is also owned by the Tribune Co., announced their intent to form a union Feb. 11. Read more
