Media workers at three Hearst-owned newspapers represented by The NewsGuild-CWA have filed unfair labor practice charges against Hearst with the National Labor Relations Board this week, accusing the company of violating federal labor law and retaliating against workers for union activity.

The charges were filed by workers at:
● The Albany Times Union in New York,
● The Austin American-Statesman in Texas,
● and the Dallas Morning News in Texas.

The workers allege that Hearst management has illegally withheld information from unions, refused to bargain in good faith, and retaliated against employees for exercising their legal right to organize.
NewsGuild-represented media workers in Connecticut already filed multiple Unfair Labor Charges against Hearst for management’s failure to bargain in good faith and unlawful retaliation against union activists.

Under federal law, workers have the right to form unions, bargain collectively, and act together to improve wages and working conditions.

Employers are legally required to negotiate in good faith and provide unions with information necessary to bargain contracts and represent workers.

Instead, workers say Hearst has unlawfully engaged in delay tactics at the bargaining table, obstructed
workers’ access to necessary information, and attempted to intimidate union activists across multiple Hearst properties.

In Albany, New York, Hearst has backtracked on more than a dozen contract proposals that management had already agreed to at the bargaining table.

“The Hearst Corporation’s delay and discipline tactics against Guild members has stretched across the board, but we remain united in our fight for better working conditions,” said Wendy Liberatore, the unit chair at the Albany Times Union. “Hearst needs to end its unlawful tactics, including regressive bargaining and disciplining members for doing Guild business, and come to the table and negotiate in good faith.”

At the Austin American-Statesman, workers say Hearst has undermined bargaining and retaliated against union supporters while employees continue pushing for a fair contract.

“A fair contract creates stability for journalists, which ensures the quality of the reporting our communities count on. We care deeply about this work and aim to safeguard historic news institutions through our efforts. It was extremely disappointing that when Hearst purchased the Austin American-Statesman, the company chose to toss away our existing contract, and disappointing now to observe how the company is treating us now that we’re negotiating a new one.”, said Keri Heath, a reporter at the Austin American-Statesman.

“We have an amazing opportunity to be partners in ensuring that the news of the future will be generated by humans not AI, that full-time newsroom jobs in Austin are kept local and aren’t given away to freelancers, and that the rights of workers in Texas are upheld and respected. Instead we find ourselves filing Unfair Labor Practice charges. We care deeply about this work and the gravity of this action is meant to reflect that. We sincerely hope that management chooses to take our rights and the content of our proposals seriously moving forward.” , said Cody Copeland, a reporter at the Austin American-Statesman.

Workers at the Dallas Morning News say management has similarly failed to bargain fairly and refused to
provide the union with necessary information.

“It wasn’t always perfect with the Dallas News Corporation management, but we knew we could expect that they would honor their legal obligations to provide us with information. We had grown to expect that. It was alarming to us after the acquisition how challenging it can often become to get the most rudimentary information from Hearst,” said Smiley Pool, Bargaining Co-Chair for the Dallas NewsGuild and worker at the Dallas Morning News.

“We are demanding these unlawful actions by Hearst immediately come to an end. Journalists seeking a fair contact and improved working conditions in their newsrooms should not be facing intimidation by management. It is far past time for Hearst to cease their endless delay tactics and join our members at the bargaining table for serious, good faith negotiations” said Sean Emery, President of Media Guild of the West #39213 TNG-CWA AFL-CIO.

The filings come amid exponential union growth in the news industry, where media workers across the country are facing off against increasing corporate consolidation of local newsrooms.

“Journalists are fighting to protect local news, improve working conditions, and maintain basic standards of fairness and dignity in the workplace,” said Jon Schleuss, NewsGuild-CWA President. “Hearst needs to stop breaking the law and start bargaining seriously with its workers.”

The unfair labor practice charges will now be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board, the
independent federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. labor law.

The annual membership meeting of the Albany Newspaper Guild, Local 31034, TNG-CWA has been called for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2026.  The meeting will be held via Zoom.

At this meeting, members can share their ideas on how to best pressure the company to settle the contract once and for all. All suggestions are welcomed.

We will also update members of the board’s activities to make it happen. The monthly Executive Board meeting will follow.

The agenda for the meeting will be posted the week prior.

The Guild had another frustrating bargaining session Thursday in which the company declined to discuss any topics without seeing a comprehensive proposal from the Guild. That is despite the fact the Guild provided a comprehensive proposal in November detailing the many tentative agreements between the sides and the outstanding sections of the contract that still needed work.

The company has failed to make one single “on the record proposal” since the sides resumed on-the-record talks in July 2025.

This makes the bargaining team believe the company is simply attempting to delay progress towards a deal. In fact, the company used the same tactic in Austin – basically saying the Guild is confusing them with too many pieces of paper.

Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Journalism Sustainability Act is now offering New York news outlets hefty tax credits for hiring new reporters and keeping their newsroom vibrant. The Times Union is eligible for $320,000 a year.

We are using our frustration about the process to expand our public campaign – securing support from state Senators, Assembly and other community members to put pressure on the company. We are also receiving help from local unions, whose members have deep connections with the state Capitol and are happy to help.

On Sept. 17, the Albany Newspaper Guild voted in its executive board officers to three-year terms that run from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2028.

The officers elected were:
Wendy Liberatore, president
David Johnson, vice president
Kathleen Moore, secretary
Paul Nelson, treasurer
Justin Wisner, chief steward
Will Richards and Rose Schneider, at-large officers

At the meeting, the board discussed contract negotiations that will restart in earnest on Thursday, Sept. 25.

We also discussed calling a meeting with the Publisher George Hearst and Human Resources about changes the company wants to make to the handbook, which we oppose without negotiations, as well as recent vague threats of dismissal to those working in advertising.

We also discussed a get-together next month and around the holidays so that we can all share and get to know each other better.

Feel free to join us at our next meeting on Zoom on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

The annual membership meeting of and election of board officers for the Albany Newspaper Guild, Local 31034, TNG-CWA has been called for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, 2025.  The meeting will be held via Zoom.

You must be a member in good standing (paying dues) to participate in the meeting and to vote on any measures that come before the local.

Up for re-election, serving a three-year term will be President Wendy Liberatore, Vice President David Johnson, Secretary Kathleen Moore and Chief Steward Justin Wisner and at-large Board Members Will Richards and Rose Schneider.

Members will also have a chance to ask questions and hear updates on the contract negotiations and plans for the 2025-26 year.

The monthly Executive Board meeting will follow.

The agenda for this meeting will be posted next week.