After eight months of bargaining with members of the Kenosha-Racine NewsGuild for a fair contract, Lee Enterprises still refuses to make reasonable movement.

Lee won’t commit to more than a 2% pay increase even though the company has agreed to better terms for two other newsrooms earlier this year. They’ve only increased their offer by 0.5% in the last four months of negotiations. Their most recent offer does not cover the minimum living wage required to pay for bare necessities in Racine and Kenosha counties, and it doesn’t even start the payscale with the rate at which Racine and Kenosha employees are currently hired.

To stay financially afloat, several journalists are working second jobs, keeping their heat off during freezing Wisconsin winters, and one is driving a totaled car.

Lee is aware of these financial realities, and yet, they say they’ve had a tough year so we should just take what we can get.

Despite Lee slashing more than 40% of our staff through cuts and attrition in the last two years, journalists remain more dedicated than ever to informing our local communities.

We need your help to push our message to corporate leaders that their stingy salary increase offer is not adequate for working professionals in 2026.

Use this form to write to Lee Enterprises leaders to show that their readers, Racine and Kenosha community members, and other labor representatives are in this fight with us.