Please support the union members at McClatchy Media newsrooms in the Pacific Northwest (The Tacoma News Tribune, Bellingham Herald, Tri-City Herald, The Olympian, and the Idaho Statesman) by sending a letter to McClatchy Media Executives demanding they offer fair wages to their employees.

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McClatchy Media is pricing experienced reporters out of the local news industry at a time when communities deserve reliable information more than ever. The union members at the Idaho Statesman, The Tacoma News Tribune, Tri-City Herald, The Olympian and Bellingham Herald are fighting to protect local journalism from an out-of-state corporation.

Owned by a New Jersey hedge fund, McClatchy Media operates newspapers in 30 markets with 65 million monthly readers and boasts more than 50 Pulitzer Prizes. But behind the company’s success are struggling employees.

It’s become a vicious cycle: McClatchy hires reporters, the reporters gain experience, McClatchy refuses to recognize their skills and they reluctantly move on to higher-paying jobs.

After more than eight months of contract negotiations, McClatchy still refuses to offer a wage floor above $48,000. More than 75% of current McClatchy journalists in Idaho and Washington make less than their area’s stable household wages determined by the United Way — the charitable organization on whose boards our CEO Tony Hunter has long served.

Company leaders have demanded journalists write 20% more stories and produce 50% more videos this year, but only offered a 2% yearly raise. All while inflation has eroded almost 10% of our wages in the past three years. Meanwhile, McClatchy corporate offices are on a spending spree, spending millions to acquire a chain of tabloids and an AI company.