Newsroom employees working at the The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette in South Carolina will soon form a union, it was confirmed late Thursday.
The reporters and photographers at the two news organizations, which share a combined newsroom, are expected to become South Carolina’s first active newspaper union.
More than 80% of the eligible employees signed cards authorizing union representation by The Washington-Baltimore News Guild, Local 32035 of the Communications Workers of America, according to a release about the planned Packet/Gazette Guild.
“We will move forward together with our newsroom colleagues at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette to voluntarily recognize the union they have proposed,” said Brian Tolley, president and editor for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette. “This pathway allows us to accelerate the process of starting negotiations. We commend our reporters for their passion and commitment to the mission of local journalism and are grateful for their continued efforts to keep our community informed under very challenging circumstances.”
