United States: Thomson Reuters Corp's longtime unionized staff of journalists in the United States are preparing to exit for the first time in decades on Thursday.
According to the Communications Workers of the Newsguild of America, which represents journalists, photographers and video journalists for US-based Reuters, the workers intend to begin a 24-hour strike Thursday at 6 a.m. New York time, after allegations that After that the company did not negotiate the salary properly. increases.
About 300 employees representing it at Reuters, or 90%, reportedly agreed to participate.
According to the union, the news organization proposed a three-year contract with a guaranteed annual wage increase of 1%, which would reduce employee purchasing power against an environment of 9% inflation.
Guild members have also complained to the US National Labor Relations Board because they believe Reuters managers are not cooperating properly with them. They join a growing number of media professionals who have recently protested what they see as unfair treatment by their employers.
"In 2020 we were all told to step up," said energy reporter Tim McLaughlin, a member of the union's bargaining committee. Everyone just stepped forward, and we believed - erroneously, as it turns out - that we would get something in return.
Reuters said in an email that it is "fully committed to constructive dialogue with Newsguild" to come to an agreement. The company said that "these discussions are ongoing, and we will continue to work with the Guild Committee to reach an agreement on mutually agreed terms."
According to its website, Reuters has 200 cities, serving a total of 2,500 journalists.
The Reuters strike coincided with a surge in media activity and events. Recent unionization polls were won by The Newsguild in publications such as The Los Angeles Times. Over the past year, it has also attacked publications such as Buzzfeed, The Miami Herald, and Black Friday, the Wirecutter product review website of The New York Times.
Reuters employees planned Thursday's walkout to coincide with the release of the company's second-quarter earnings results in an effort to garner greater management and customer attention.
One-day strikes often have a more negative impact on a company's reputation than its actual business operations, but relying on foreign journalists or editors to cover the day's events would disrupt Reuters news gathering, according to the Guild.
In a statement, Reuters said: "We are confident that we will provide the highest level of service to all of our customers. We have comprehensive contingency plans that will minimize this brief disruption."
Sales and revenue were above expectations, the media company reported in its first-quarter earnings report in May, with total company revenue rising 6% from a year earlier to US$1.67 billion.
Thomson Reuters Chief Executive Officer Steve Hasker said the company would invest in both its operations and personnel in its May earnings announcement. However, members of the guild claimed that the business was not rewarding workers who contributed to its success. His most recent union contract expires at the end of 2020.
The attitude of Reuters employees "ranged from angry to apologetic" according to McLaughlin, who noted that "most media companies are having a tough time, but it's not us."
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