Workers at local newspapers owned by Hearst allege the company is trying to “destroy unions” amid claims of widespread anti-union tactics, including violating union contracts and bad-faith bargaining.

The Albany Newspaper Guild, which represents the Times Union newspaper in Albany, New York, said it had been more than 17 years since the union had a contract and there had been little progress toward reaching a new one.

Wendy Liberatore, president of the Albany Newspaper Guild and the Saratoga county reporter at the Times Union, said the lack of pay increases at the newspaper had burdened employees who struggle to afford a higher cost of living, including higher deductibles for their healthcare plan. She also said that workers were concerned about Hearst eventually outsourcing jobs to AI.

“What bothers me is the effect on our members. It really hurts our members,” she said.

Liberatore noted the issue was seen across Hearst publications across the country. “Hearst newspaper management – in Albany, Connecticut, Austin and Dallas – is doing its best to destroy unions at its papers,” she said.

What a bunch of bullshit that Gannett finally signed a contract with the Austin American-Statesman guild, then turned around and sold the paper to Hearst, which had no binding need to follow that contract. Gannett had only purchased the AAS from Cox a few years earlier.