FAQ

Why are we organizing?

For too long we have seen our corporate out-of-state employer, Lee Enterprises, cut our staff and raise our medical costs while providing few, if any, cost of living increases. We believe that through unionizing, we can create a more stable environment for local news to grow.

What is the process?

If the union isn’t voluntarily recognized by Lee Enterprises, it will move to an election. The election would be administered independently by the National Labor Relations Board. We are asking to hold the election through mail-in ballots. The Montana News Guild will be officially recognized with a simple majority vote.

What happens if the union is recognized?

After the vote passes, Lee Enterprises is legally required to negotiate with us in good faith over our pay, benefits, and working conditions.

A bargaining committee will be responsible for negotiating our contract. The committee will survey the whole newsroom on our priorities and ideas for the contract. They will be responsible for communicating with us throughout the negotiation process.

Once our bargaining committee and Lee Enterprises agree on a contract, members of our union vote to ratify it.