LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The union representing Southern California newspaper reporters, photographers and others plans to hold a one-day strike Thursday, protesting working conditions and low pay.

What You Need To Know

  • The union representing Southern California newspaper reporters, photographers and others plans to hold a one-day strike Thursday

  • The strike comes two years after the reporters banded together to form a union, the SCNG Guild, and began contract discussions with the Southern California News Group

  • The SCNG company is one of the largest owners of newspapers across the Southern California region that stretches from the San Fernando Valley to San Bernardino

  • The union had been bargaining with SCNG for nearly two years

More than half of the nearly 125 members of the SCNG Guild, the union representing workers for the 11 Southern California News Group newspapers, will walk out of the job amid protracted contract talks with the company, said Josh Cain, the vice chair of the SCNG Guild and a breaking news reporter at the LA Daily News.

“We are tired,” Cain said to Spectrum News. “We are tired of the cuts. We’re tired of waiting for a deal. It’s been long enough.”

The strike comes two years after the reporters banded together to form a union, the SCNG Guild, and began contract discussions with the Southern California News Group. 

The SCNG company is one of the largest owners of newspapers across the Southern California region that stretches from the San Fernando Valley to San Bernardino. 

The company owns several long-standing newspapers, including the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the Orange County Register, the Daily Breeze, the LA Daily News and numerous others. 

Denver-based MediaNews Group owns the SCNG company; MediaNews Group’s parent company is Alden Global Capital.

Alden Global, which owns more than 200 local newspapers nationwide, including the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Herald and the Orlando Sentinel, is well known as a hedge fund that buys newspapers and quickly guts its staff. 

A SCNG spokesperson did not return a Spectrum News message for comment.

Cain said the union had been bargaining with SCNG for nearly two years. 

He said several long-time journalists had not received a pay raise in 10 to 15 years. Many employees earn just above the state’s minimum wage of $15.50.

Most, he said, are getting by with $19 to $20 an hour, or about $40,000 a year salary. Some have to take on a second job to make a living.

In addition to low pay, many reporters’ workloads have doubled or tripled since the company often lays off workers and expects existing staff to pick up the pace, Cain said.

“It’s a struggle,” he said. “A lot of our negotiations have been push and pull. There is a lot of delay from the company side. We’re journalists. Many of us get into this knowing we’re not going to make a ton of money, but this is one of the most expensive places to live, and people are feeling that pressure. The cost-of-living keeps going up.”

Cain said the union sent over a “fair” salary proposal to the SCNG company last year, only for the latter to counter — a year later — asking the union to drop its salary demands and accept a $1,000 bonus. 

“Of course, we said no to that,” he said. “That was never going to be a deal that we were going to take.”

He said the company’s unreasonable counter led to the one-day walkout. 

Cain said enough is enough. He thinks the company is exploiting journalists’ love for their work. 

“We love what we do,” he said. “I’ve been a reporter for 10 years now. This is what I love to do. I love being in a newsroom and writing stories that the community wants to read and stay informed on what’s happening in their community.”

But staff layoffs and attrition have taken their toll.

“It’s really hard to be a journalist,” he said. “There’s low morale because of what this company does. They force people out. Every journalist that leaves is another watchdog gone for the community.” 

“Alden’s tactics are detrimental to democracy,” he added.

The union doesn’t plan to picket at any one site on Thursday. Instead, the group will hold a virtual rally in which union members and supporters from Alden’s other newspapers nationwide can join. 

The strike will only last a day — for now.

“We want to bargain and bargain in good faith,” he said. “We’re not going to strike for multiple days. We want to send a message to the company that we’re ready to do this. We’re ready to walk out but still want to bargain.” 

He said they could hold more strikes in the future if the SCNG does not meet the union’s demand.

“That will always be on the table,” he said. “We’re prepared to go on an open-ended strike. Right now, it’s just a one-day walkout.”