PHOENIX — Reporters, photographers and non-management staffers at the state’s largest newspaper voted Thursday to form a union.
The 64-30 vote came despite a series of memos written by management at The Arizona Republic to employees eligible to join the NewsGuild that organizing in that way could have negative implications.
That included arguments that Gannett, as the corporate owner, has only so much it is willing to spend — and that the cost of any new benefit could result in the loss of another one.
“Clearly that argument didn’t hold water,” Mary Jo Pitzl, one of the supporters of the union, told Capitol Media Services. “The belief among Guild supporters was that there’s a lot of room to play with here and you don’t necessarily have to give up something to get something.”
Greg Burton, the paper’s executive editor, provided only a prepared statement.
“We respect the rights of our employees and their decision,” Burton said, saying The Republic will “move forward and continue serving Arizonans.”
The Arizona Republic, in Phoenix, is distinct from the Arizona Daily Star, in Tucson, and the two newspapers have separate ownership.
The Republic would apparently be the only unionized newspaper in Arizona.
Thursday’s vote does not actually gain The Republic’s newsroom staffers anything beyond the right to collectively bargain with management.
“I think there’s a general belief that now the hard work starts,” Pitzl said.
Unlike efforts to unionize some other businesses, much of the impetus had less to do with salaries than trying to provide some protection to workers against layoffs.
That has taken on additional importance following the announcement that Gannett was going to be purchased by GateHouse Media to form a $1.4 billion corporation.
Officials from both companies have made public statements that they believe the combined operations, which will operate under the Gannett name, could save up to $300 million a year.
That has led to fears that The Republic, which already has had multiple layoffs during the past decade, would lose more employees in the corporate merger.
There were some vocal foes of union efforts, including veteran reporter Craig Harris. He told Capitol Media Services during the campaign that while there have been a series of staffing cuts at The Republic, most of those let go were offered buy-outs and severance pay.
And Harris said the fact remains that newspapers are no longer as profitable as they once were.
There is no guarantee that formation of a Guild local will result in a contract.
Staffers at The Republic and at the Phoenix Gazette, its now-defunct afternoon sister paper, voted in 1978 to form a union. But Jana Bommersback, one of the organizers, said the reporters never were able to get a contract, with interest in the union fading after management provided pay raises.
