Living and working in Vermont is precarious for too many people who call this state home. Unfortunately, that includes VTDigger's hardworking journalists.

We — the fourteen unionized reporters, editors, and photographers who produce the local news you read every day at VTDigger — are in the midst of bargaining our second contract. And we need your support!

Across the country, local journalism is in crisis. Over the past five years, we’ve lost seven positions to attrition while watching our salaries stagnate and deflate under the crushing rate of inflation. Simultaneously, we have seen VTDigger expand the number of leadership positions and increase total leadership compensation by as much as 500%!

With the gulf between VTDigger leadership and journalist compensation deepening, at the bargaining table we proposed modest, equity-based raises. By paying its journalists a living wage, we believe VTDigger can attract and retain top talent, and become the exemplar of nonprofit local journalism that it aspires to be.

But VTDigger management has countered with a proposal that would amount to a pay cut for many of us over the term of the next contract—including an average 14% reduction toward the company’s contribution to our health care premiums.

As loyal readers who have supported our journalism, we hope you will support us. We’ve crafted a sample letter on the next page for your copying-and/or-editing pleasure that we are asking you to send to VTDigger’s leadership team and board of trustees. Tell VTDigger leadership to offer their journalists a fair contract now! It is high time to pay their journalists a living wage and improve their working conditions. The news you read depends on it!