Huge thank you to everyone in the community who supported us throughout this process, we couldn’t have done it without you! ✊

While the contract isn’t perfect, it’s a first step that guarantees us raises and job protections. Our bosses also agreed that no quotas will be tied to wages, a key piece of our contract fight.

We had a productive bargaining session with management on Wednesday, but we’re still waiting to hear back on one dealbreaker issue. We hope our bosses will bargain in good faith and we can finally reach the finish line. Thanks to everyone who’s supported us so far!!

Help us in our fight to save local journalism in the Pacific Northwest by signing our petition today: actionnetwork.org/petitions/su...

Carpenter Media, now the fourth-largest media company in the country, bought The Herald last year along with dozens of other small, local newspapers across the Pacific Northwest. Last year, Carpenter laid off more than half of The Herald’s news staff. (5/5)

It's an impossible ask with devastating consequences. Journalists won’t be able to give important stories the time they deserve for proper coverage. Tying wages to the quantity of stories will force them to choose between their livelihoods and quality journalism. (4/5)

In addition to refusing to pay its reporters livable wages, Carpenter wants to tie a meager $1/hour pay increase to brutal quotas, requiring 2-3 stories a day per reporter. If reporters don’t hit the quota, they don’t get the raise. (3/5)

After months of negotiating with our union for a first contract, the company is still offering a base wage of $20.50/hour, barely above Everett’s minimum wage and less than Seattle’s. It’s far below the cost of living in Snohomish County, which is $30.25/hour. (2/5)