The thirteen staffed journalists behind one of SF’s foremost news outlets have announced a successful unionization effort.
Journalists remain among the lowest-paid, highly educated working cohorts in the United States; they also occupy a job field rife with employment volatility, legal ramifications, and, in many cases, physical danger; despite the numerous ostensible downsides in journalism, the field remains extremely coveted with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applications submitted for a single editorial role.
Unionization is crucial for protecting journalists from wage disparities and employer exploitation. (Any hired journalists who’ve been in the proverbial game long enough can attest they’ve heard iterations of “there’s a line out the door of people wanting this job, if you don’t take it/want it” at some point when negotiating contracts and salaries.)
In San Francisco, Mission Local — the SF-based nonprofit news outlet that garners a million viewers to its website each month — has become a salve in an increasingly corporatized media space. Its comparatively small newsroom produces outstanding op-eds, long-form pieces, and cheeky restaurant reviews that exist outside the canon of “big money” and financial partnerships that muddy reporting. Now, the reporters behind those same pieces have accomplished another phenomenal feat: successfully unionizing.
“The union is a step forward for us and for Mission Local,” said Oscar, a news reporter for the outlet, in a press release announcing the unionization.
Founded in 2008 by Executive Editor Lydia Chávez, initially as a project to allow UC Berkeley journalism students to report in one of the most diverse communities in San Francisco, the once-fledgling newsroom has soared to award-winning heights and is considered by many (us included) an important touchstone in San Francisco’s media landscape.
Eleni, another reporter for Mission Local, commented that the outlet has “come a long way over the years” — when Eleni started, they were one of only two staffed reporters at the time — and hopes the unionization of the current newsroom will ensure the staff is supported and protected as the outlet continues growing.
“Forming a union is a natural next step as we grow from a small, scrappy team into a highly professionalized outlet,” said Vicky, Mission Local’s donor engagement lead. “On the business side, we have big plans to expand our operations, and having a union will ensure we are centering the well-being of our budding team in our goals for the future.”
Employees at Mission Local are, as of publishing, now a unionized leg of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, Local 39521, which represents over a thousand journalists, videographers, and other media employees; on August 19th, workers won voluntary recognition from their employer; the newsroom is looking forward to negotiations that will yield fair, equitable contracts that best serve both the non-profit and its staff.
Photo: Courtesy of Mission Local
