Los Angeles Times journalists voted to authorize a strike by a large margin in hopes to reach a new contract with management Thursday.
The newspaper’s union the Los Angeles Times Guild voted in support of the strike by 85%. The guild represents reporters, editors, designers, photographers and other journalists at the West Coast’s largest newspaper. A strike has not yet been scheduled, but the vote gives the Guild’s leadership the authority to call for a work stoppage if the union finds it necessary.
“These negotiations have dragged on for far too long, and today’s vote results show that our members are fed up,” Matt Hamilton, chair of the L.A. Times Guild and an investigative reporter, said. “Now is the time for management to come to the table with a proposal that is truly fair for our members and helps restore The Times.”
The union has been bargaining for a new contract for three years, during which the L.A. Times has gone through several rounds of layoffs, cutting the number of union members from 450 to 200. The Local of the Media Guild of the West represents more than 200 reporters at the paper, and 98% participated in the vote.
Guild members are asking management for a cost-of-living increase, which they have not received since 2021. The newspaper’s journalists are also fighting to preserve existing layoff protections and prevent work from being outsourced to third-party companies or non-union labor.
This is the first-ever strike authorization by the L.A. Times Guild, which was formed in 2018. The union held a one-day walkout to protest layoffs in 2024, but if a strike were to go into effect, it would be the first newsroom work stoppage since its founding in 1881.
“We’re fighting for our livelihood, for our community and for our owner’s investment,” Bill Shaikin, co-chair of the Guild’s bargaining committee and a veteran sports columnist, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, in a moment when several other news outlets are expanding into Los Angeles, management at The Times continues to make bargaining proposals that risk devaluing the brand and, in turn, the owner’s investment.”
During contract negotiations, the Guild accused L.A. Times leadership of trying to intimidate members out of participating in collective bargaining or other union activities, filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. In April, the board upheld the Guild’s allegations, and a hearing is scheduled for next year.
