Fort Worth Star-Telegram owner McClatchy has recognized Fort Worth NewsGuild as a unit of The NewsGuild-CWA, according to The News Guild CWA.
Steve Coffman, president and editor of the Star-Telegram, posted a tweet announcing the decision. “The entire @startelegram team will move forward together, honoring our journalists’ request to be recognized as the @FortWorthGuild.”
On Oct. 14, journalists of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram announced the formation of a union. On Oct. 16, the Dallas Morning News recognized its union. The Star-Telegram becomes the third McClatchy newspaper to recognize a union this year.
The announcement of the union drive at the Star-Telegram follows the finalization of McClatchy’s sale to Chatham Asset Management, a New Jersey- based hedge fund. The sale came six months after McClatchy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Recognizing the union voluntarily allows contract negotiations between McClatchy and newsroom staff to begin. In September, McClatchy granted immediate recognition to the Packet/Gazette Guild, which represents journalists at the Hilton Head Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers. Other unionized McClatchy publications include the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald, the Bradenton Herald, the Sacramento Bee, Modesto Bee and Fresno Bee and the Idaho Statesman.