Gannett journalists plan workers strike

Journalists working for Gannett, the company that owns USA Today, some of the nation’s largest metro daily newspapers and more than 100 more local newspapers are planning to walk off the job next week.

Seizing on the company’s annual shareholders meeting June 5, Gannett’s workers union said it would be holding a wave of nationwide strikes and would call on the media giant’s shareholders to issue a vote of no confidence in CEO Mike Reed, citing his “gross mismanagement.”

“Under Mike Reed’s watch, Gannett has become radioactive to investors. Reed doesn’t care one bit about a long-term strategy to invest in the company by investing in journalists,” Jon Schleuss, President of NewsGuild-CWA, said in a statement on Thursday.

“They need support and resources to make sure our communities have the local news needed to keep our democracy thriving. Instead, Reed’s singular focus has been on stuffing his own pockets. Reed has overstayed his welcome at Gannett and needs to go.”

The NewsGuild-CWA represents more than 50 Gannett bargaining units, covering more than 1,000 employees, the organization said. Gannett owns and operates dozens of local newspapers in major media markets across the country and is the natioan’s largest newspaper publisher.

In a statement Thursday, the company said it is “focused on investing in local newsrooms and monetizing our content,” and said a potential work stoppage would cause “no disruption to our content or ability to deliver trusted news.”

Last winter, staffers in the New York Times union briefly walked off the job. The Times struck a deal with its employees union earlier this month.