Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

News

LA Times union votes to authorize strike for first time ever

A group of people, some wearing white shirts with a yellow eagle and black text that reads "Guild" gather outdoors holding white, yellow, and black signs that reads "L.A. Times Guild Against ULPs." Los Angeles City Hall is in the background.
Members of the L.A. Times Guild held a one-day walkout in 2024.
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

Topline:

The union representing L.A. Times journalists overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike for the first time ever Thursday as they entered the third year of contract negotiations. A strike has not yet been scheduled.

What’s new: Union members say they haven’t had a cost-of-living increase since 2021 and have faced intimidation from management to organize. They also want protections against layoffs and stronger guardrails against work done by “freelancers, temps and work done by other companies owned by” Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong.

Is this historic? Yes, this is the first-ever strike authorization by the L.A. Times Guild, which was formed in 2018. The union also held a one-day walkout in January 2024 to protest anticipated layoffs — the first newsroom work stoppage since the paper began printing in 1881, the Guild said.

Support for LAist comes from

The context: The union said 85% of its membership — which includes reporters, editors, designers, photographers and other journalists — voted to support the strike.

The backstory: The organization has been through multiple rounds of layoffs since it started negotiating its contract in September 2022. The union has shrunk from 450 members to just above 200 over the last two years, the L.A. Times Guild said. In August, 80% of its members pledged to vote yes on authorizing a strike.

Management response: LAist has reached out to the Times for comment.

What’s next: The guild said it will return to bargaining Oct. 14.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist