Reporters, photographers, editors and digital producers working for Connecticut’s largest print/digital news organization have voted to form a union with The NewsGuild-CWA, joining newsrooms around the country.
Eighty percent of the 85 Connecticut News Guild members voted to form the collective bargaining unit in an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, according to a May 23 press release from the Communications Workers of America.
The members will begin bargaining for a contract with Hearst Connecticut management. The vote comes more than nine months after Hearst Connecticut staff first announced their union drive.
“Good unions make for good journalism, and good journalism is a foundation of a free and open society,” said Ethan Fry, a breaking news reporter. “I’m so thrilled that my colleagues and I affirmed our commitment to forming a union — the first one I am fortunate enough to be a member of after more than 20 years in the profession. I look forward to meeting management to bargain for a fair contract that ensures good local journalism in Connecticut for years to come.”
Hearst has challenged the eligibility of 18 people to be included in the Connecticut News Guild bargaining unit.
As Hearst Newspapers has continued to acquire news outlets across the state, including the purchase in early 2025 of the Republican-American, both new and longtime staff have felt the effects of this growth and consolidation including shifting job responsibilities and requirements that they report to offices far from the communities they cover. Meanwhile, wages have not grown with the rate of inflation and remain inconsistent with the cost of living in Connecticut.
“It’s so thrilling to see the overwhelming support from our colleagues in our union drive over the past year finally pay off today,” said Joe Tucci, a reporter and digital producer. “With our united workforce, I believe that we will be able to work together to build a fair, supportive and comfortable workplace for everyone.”
Other recent newsrooms to organize include the Hartford Courant Guild, which last year ratified its first union contract alongside seven other Tribune publications, and the S.F. Chronicle/SFGATE Guild, which has long fought for our fellow Hearst Newspapers employees in California and ratified their most recent contract in 2023. More recently, in March, journalists at three newspapers in New Jersey voted to ratify their first contract with Gannett.
