Support the Workers at the Pueblo Chieftain!
Mike Reed, CEO; Samantha Howland, Chief People Officer; Michelle Ferguson, Senior Director of Labor Relations, Gannett; and Zach Hillstrom, Editor, The Pueblo Chieftain
The employees of the Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo's last daily newspaper, are currently bargaining for a new contract with Gannett Corporations, the media conglomerate that owns the Chieftain in addition to over 100 daily newspapers and over 1,000 weekly newspapers. Gannett's wage proposals are an attempt to continue to underpay the workers that make the Chieftain so beloved - we've had enough, and we're demanding more!
Gannett has the money to pay these workers fair wages and invest in the longevity of reporters at the Chieftain. Show the workers of the Pueblo Chieftain that you support their fight by signing this petition and sharing with your networks!
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To:
Mike Reed, CEO; Samantha Howland, Chief People Officer; Michelle Ferguson, Senior Director of Labor Relations, Gannett; and Zach Hillstrom, Editor, The Pueblo Chieftain
From:
[Your Name]
We are writing this letter of community support on behalf of employees at The Pueblo Chieftain, the only daily newspaper serving Pueblo, Colorado. As community supporters, subscribers, and local leaders, we are calling on Gannett corporation to negotiate in good faith with the Pueblo Chieftain union and pay them a fair wage.
The Chieftain is Colorado's oldest daily newspaper with a 155-year history. But the newspaper has seen drastic changes since being taken over byGannett. In that time the Chieftain has lost over 80% of its reporters - from 30, to only 6 serving all of Pueblo and Southern Colorado. Gannett also shut down its print operation in 2023, putting 51 people out of work and forcing newspapers throughout Southern Colorado to scramble for alternatives.
As a result, the remaining staff has struggled to adequately cover Pueblo County, which has a population of 175,000 people. Chieftain reporters are doing the best they can, but without support from their employer, it’s nearly impossible to put out the news product our community deserves. That starts by paying the staff of the Pueblo Chieftain a fair, thriving wage.
Gannett has agreed to much higher wages in other newsrooms — we know you have the money. It’s time to pay the staff of the Pueblo Chieftain what they deserve, so Pueblo can continue to have pride in our objective and fair source of local news.