In the last 15 years, more than 1,800 local newspapers have closed their doors for good. Half of all journalist jobs have disappeared. Entire communities have been left without meaningful coverage.

The remaining employees are being pushed to the brink, struggling to produce top-tier journalism while working in the lowest-tier conditions.

Gannett, an American media conglomerate that owns IndyStar, USA Today and hundreds of other daily and weekly local newspapers across the country, is the biggest newspaper chain in the US and one of the worst offenders.

That's why beginning June 5, hundreds of Gannett journalists across the country are striking and taking other unified steps to send a message to Gannett: Enough is enough.

Locally, the Indianapolis News Guild's collective bargaining agreement expired nearly three years ago.

The Indianapolis News Guild is asking for a contract that rectifies pay inequity in the newsroom, brings decade-old pay scales up to date, and provides cost-of-living adjustments at a time of record high inflation, among other things.

Layoffs and high turnover are also another big concern of the IndyStar newsroom, which has seen many journalists leave in recent years due, in part, due to pay.

To bring attention to the need for a fair contract and respect from leadership at every level within the company, many journalists in Indianapolis are withdrawing their bylines from their work until there is significant improvement in the bargaining process.

Help back the bylines back. Write a letter urging IndyStar and Gannett leaders to support their journalists through fair contracts.