Washington, D.C. – Journalists at The Hill, represented by the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild, have voted 46-to-1 to ratify their first Collective Bargaining Agreement with Nexstar Media Group.
The agreement is the culmination of nearly three years of negotiations and organizing, despite Union-Busting tactics from Nexstar management.
The Hill voted overwhelmingly to Unionize in May 2022, less than a year after Nexstar acquired it, and began negotiating its first-ever contract that September.
The two-year agreement increases the salary floor for The Hill’s junior-most Employees by roughly 18% and guarantees annual raises across the newsroom.
It also doubles the amount of parental leave, adds protections around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and guarantees job security with Nexstar management now needing just cause to fire Workers.
“Thanks to this contract, I’m going to get the first three months at home with our new baby,” said Saul Elbein, a Member of The Hill Guild’s Bargaining Team. “It means more than I can say to be able to be at home for those first crucial months.”
In addition to increasing family leave from six weeks to 12 weeks, the contract also offers another week of vacation time, sick leave and bereavement time.
“This contract stands as a powerful testament to the determination and unity of The Hill and sends a clear message that when we stand together, we win,” said Brooke Migdon, another Bargaining Team Member. “We’d be remiss, however, to not acknowledge that Nexstar is still insistent on laying off (22) of our colleagues. While this agreement includes language guaranteeing voluntary buyouts to mitigate layoffs, The Hill Guild continues to strongly condemn Nexstar’s pursuit of layoffs as it reports record profits.”
The Hill Guild is a group of Reporters, Editors and Newsroom Employees organizing to build a more sustainable and accountable workplace at The Hill.
The Hill Guild organized with the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild/The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America (TNG-CWA) Local 32035, which is part of The NewsGuild-CWA, the largest Union of Journalists and Media Workers in North America.
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