ProPublica Guild Ratifies First Contract
Members of the ProPublica Guild gather to ratify our first collective bargaining agreement.
Members of the ProPublica Guild, which represents more than 150 workers across the nonprofit investigative newsroom, overwhelmingly voted to ratify our first contract on Friday, exactly three years since we officially won recognition as a union.
“This contract is a major step forward for our members,” said Agnel Philip, a data reporter and unit chair of the ProPublica Guild. “What we won is a testament to our hard work and shows what we can achieve when we stand together.”
The four-year collective bargaining agreement is the culmination of a campaign in which we launched a petition and letter-writing initiatives that brought thousands of supporters into our fight, recorded and published testimonials from our members, and staged a 24-hour strike, the first work stoppage in ProPublica’s history.
At the start of bargaining, management said many of the things we’ve now won were impossible. They fought us hard on provisions across this contract, especially on topics such as AI. Still, we’re proud of this contract. It will meaningfully improve our members’ lives and make ProPublica a better place to work, while helping protect the quality and integrity of our work.
“It took a major fight to earn the fair contract that we deserve, but our members, our supporters and our unionized allies across the industry did not back down,” said Mark Olalde, an environment reporter and member of the union’s Bargaining Committee. “We will remain vigilant in enforcing this contract.”
Highlights from the deal include:
Wages
13-24% wage increases over the life of the contract and new salary floors starting at $75,000
About 15% of unit members will receive individual raises, including local reporters and business-side employees, who are among the lowest paid, helping to remedy historical pay disparities.
Job security
Just Cause protections that guarantee due process and representation should a worker face discipline
Any member laid off will be placed on a 14-month recall list, one of the longest in the industry. Those on the list will be prioritized for job openings.
Hybrid work
In-office work limited to two days per week, with management option to increase to three days in September 2029
Health insurance
Locking in health insurance that saves members with dependents thousands of dollars every year
AI
Mandate to maintain an AI policy, which includes a commitment to transparency around AI use and human involvement in the implementation of any AI tools
Creation of an AI committee where bargaining unit members will have a say in issues related to technology