Hearst CT reporters celebrate election results Thursday at Two Roads in Stratford. (Updated) New Haven Register reporters and their Hearst colleagues from across Connecticut have voted to form a union, and are now seeking to negotiate a contract with their newspaper-chain employer.
A group called the Connecticut News Guild made that announcement in a Thursday afternoon press release.
According to the press release, Hearst Connecticut journalists voted 68 – 17 in support of forming a union with The NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America (CWA). The press release states that reporters, photographers, editors and digital producers participated in the election.
A Connecticut News Guild representative told the Independent that the election took place by mail. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) subregional office in Hartford sent ballots to 119 eligible voters on May 1, and a total of 85 Hearst CT reporters mailed back their ballots between then and May 21. The NLRB staff then certified and counted the ballots Thursday afternoon. The Connecticut News Guild rep said they watched the count over Zoom, along with representatives from Hearst and The NewsGuild-CWA.
“With this display of solidarity and hope for the future of local journalism, we’re excited to begin bargaining a contract together that improves working conditions for all of us and future HCMG [Hearst Connecticut Media Group] journalists, including our colleagues who didn’t vote or voted ‘no,’ ” Thursday’s press release states.
“Hearst must now begin bargaining a contract with the union in good faith, without delay or appeal.”
The press release states that these reporters are seeking a “seat at the table” to have a greater say in “working conditions, pay, protections against unfair discipline and more.”
“Good unions make for good journalism, and good journalism is a foundation of a free and open society,” Hearst reporter (and former Valley Independent Sentinel reporter) Ethan Fry is quoted as saying in Thursday’s press release. “I’m so thrilled that my colleagues and I affirmed our commitment to forming a union — the first one I am fortunate enough to be a member of after more than 20 years in the profession. I look forward to meeting management to bargain for a fair contract that ensures good local journalism in Connecticut for years to come.”
In a phone interview with the Independent, Brian Zahn, a New Haven Register reporter since 2015 who currently covers West Haven and New Haven City Hall, said the same. “It affirms what we know, which is that Connecticut journalists are enthusiastic about and love their jobs and want to continue working in this industry and are excited to negotiate a contract with management.”
Jon Schleuss, the president of The NewsGuild-CWA, also celebrated Thursday’s election results as a “landslide” win for the union. “We stand ready to support them as they fight for a strong first contract that protects quality local journalism and respects the workers who produce it.”
Representatives from Hearst did not respond to requests for comment by the publication time of this article.
The state branch of the national newspaper chain owns most of the legacy print dailies in southern and central Connecticut, including Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, The Middletown Press, The New Haven Register, The News-Times, The Norwalk Hour, The Register Citizen and Stamford Advocate. In 2023, Hearst purchased the Meriden daily that had been family owned for over 156 years. Earlier this year, Hearst purchased Waterbury’s Republican-American newspaper. Hearst owns Connecticut magazine as well, along with local print weeklies. The company has replaced the Hartford Courant — which has shrunk under the ownership of the Alden Global Capital private equity firm — as the state’s leading legacy print organization.
The union election comes after the Connecticut News Guild first moved to form a union among Hearst CT reporters in August 2024. It also comes after Hearst — which has owned the Register since 2017 — left its New Haven offices and consolidated much of its newsroom in Meriden in April 2024.
Update: On Friday, May 23, CTInsider.com, which is part of Hearst Connecticut, published a staff-bylined report acknowledging the union election results. That report also states that Hearst Connecticut Media Group did not provide CTInsider.com with a comment on the election. And on Monday, May 27, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representative confirmed for the Independent that the tally for the Hearst CT union election was 68 – 17, and that 16 additional ballots have been challenged. Click here for more details on the election.