The Columbus Dispatch, Newark Advocate Are Now Union Made
Dozens of employees at the Columbus Dispatch and the Newark Advocate voted Jan. 14 to unionize, in results certified Thursday by the National Labor Relations Board.
The vote was 33-5 in favor of unionizing between the two newsrooms to form the Dispatch News Guild. The union said in a statement the vote forces the USA Today Company to recognize the union.
“For too long, Ohio’s greatest home newspaper has hemorrhaged great journalists due to short-sighted cuts by our corporate owner,” Dispatch news reporter Jordan Laird said in a statement. “Now, we’re taking some power back.”
The Dispatch has undergone serious staff cuts in the six years following a merger between GateHouse Media and Gannett. In 2019, the paper had more than 90 people across all departments. Dispatch journalists said there are now less than 40 non-management employees in the newsroom.
The smaller Newark Advocate, which covers Licking County, has seen even deeper cuts. Staff said there are just three full-time reporters.