Signal Ohio workers say leadership is trying to divide newsroom union drive
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Signal Ohio leadership has retained a law firm with a union-busting reputation as it negotiates with editorial staffers who announced a union drive last week.
Why it matters: Signal is funded by philanthropy and reader support. Members of the newly formed Signal Ohio News Workers Guild argue those donations should be used to strengthen the organization's civic and journalistic mission, not on legal fees to impede the union.
Driving the news: Guild members said Signal's CEO and board have indicated they are open to voluntarily recognizing the union, but only if workers are split into three separate bargaining units.
- Their position was delivered not by executives but through an attorney from Jackson Lewis, a national firm also retained by Cleveland's Rising Star Coffee in its contract talks with baristas.
- The firm has a "notorious" anti-union track record, per LaborLab, a nonprofit watchdog "committed to safeguarding the right to organize through unions."
What they're saying: "Negotiating separate contracts would delay meaningful improvement of working conditions for many of our colleagues and further isolate us from each other," the Guild wrote in an email to supporters.
- They added that such a move would undercut their stated desire to collectively shape the future of Signal Ohio and could lead to inconsistent work experiences across the organization.
Zoom out: Guild members say similar nonprofit outlets with reporters in multiple cities — Chalkbeat, CitySide, The Marshall Project and the Texas Tribune — all received voluntary recognition under a single bargaining unit.
The other side: Signal management has not responded to Axios' request for comment.
- The organization is in the midst of relaunching its membership program, the Signal Supporters Circle.