ProPublica Guild to management: Stop blocking stewards and resisting proposals for accountability

ProPublica Guild members signed this letter to ProPublica's President Robin Sparkman and Editor in Chief Steve Engelberg on May 1st 2025.

Dear Steve and Robin,

Since we unionized in 2023, we have worked hard to reach a contract that honors ProPublica's mission. In order to fulfill that vision, our values of fairness, transparency and accountability must apply not only to our reporting but also to our workplace.

Our proposals have sought basic contractual rights that align with those values and exist at many other unionized newsrooms.

Instead of working with us to codify those rights, you have struck through many of our proposals, called for broad carve outs and delayed discussion of key provisions such as protections against layoffs and overwork. Those tactics are not in line with the ProPublica you say you want to build.

In recent months:

• You have refused to allow stewards in performance meetings that could lead to discipline. 

• You have resisted attempts to reform our disciplinary system, rejecting a standard approach to just cause and measures to improve transparency and clarity.

• You rejected our proposal that would ensure our jobs will not be replaced by artificial intelligence. 

What we are seeking is simple: ProPublica management must uphold its values in its own workplace. We expect that your proposals going forward will reflect these shared values.

Sincerely,

ProPublica Guild Unit Council Members:
Lucas Waldron
A.C. Thompson
Aliyya Swaby
Lisa Song
Heather Schade
Agnel Philip
Mark Olalde
Cassandra Jaramillo
Sergio Hernández
Jeff Ernsthausen
Mariam Elba
Lexi Churchill

ProPublica Guild Members:
Joanna Kelly
Allen Tan
Ruth Talbot
Yubei Tang
Andrea Suozzo
Artemis Sparks
Ellis Simani
Mollie Simon
Al Shaw
Peneloppe Serrano
Nicole Santa Cruz 
Melissa Sanchez
Jessica Rojas
Brandon Roberts
Nadia Sussman
Lisa Riordan Seville
Jennifer Smith Richards
Dan Phiffer
Grace Palmieri
Sam Cooney
Rocio Ortega
Eli Oberman
Zisiga Mukulu
Maya Miller
J. David McSwane
Alanna McLafferty
Megan Martenyi
Jessica Lussenhop
Sharon Lerner
Nat Lash
Lomi Kriel
Corey Johnson
Jeremy Kohler
Paul Kiel
Sarah Glen
Alec Glassford
McKenzie Funk
Jeff Frankl
Nicole Foy
Asia Fields
Audrey Dutton
Anna Donlan
Peter DiCampo
Gerardo del Valle
Sophie Chou
Katie Campbell 
Mauricio Rodriguez
Max Blau
Liz Barr
Alex Bandoni
Katie Antonsson
Skye An
Joel Jacobs
Carissa Quiambao 
Annie Waldman
Perla Trevizo
Isabelle Yan
Alissandra Calderon 
Pratheek Rebala
Molly Redden
Logan Jaffe
Andrea Wise
Jeremy Schwartz
Stanley Mah
Anna Clark
Cassandra Garibay
Maryam Jameel
Jose Sepulveda
Vernal Coleman
Bailey DeCarli
Erika Bishop
Doug Clark 
Rob Davis
Kirsten Berg
Shoshana Gordon
Mary Hudetz
Yvonne Wehrmann
Jennifer Berry Hawes
Anna Barry-Jester
Gabriel Sandoval
Heather Vogell
Cedeem Gumbs
Amy Yurkanin
Alex Mierjeski
Peter Elkind