The staff of the Long Beach Journalism Initiative, the parent-nonprofit of the Long Beach Post and Long Beach Business Journal, have unanimously formed a union with Media Guild of the West (NewsGuild-CWA Local 39213). Now, we need your help: Tell our Board of Directors and CEO to voluntarily recognize the Long Beach Media Guild.

If you believe that Long Beach deserves strong, independent journalism, that workers should have a voice and that power should be held to account, sign this petition to tell LBJI management to support our union.

Long Beach Media Guild mission statement

Since its inception in 2007, the Long Beach Post has grown to become a vital institution for the communities it serves. Now, 17 years later, together with the Long Beach Business Journal, it is the largest and only nonprofit newsroom in the city.

That public service wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the workers behind it. Our journalists hold those in power accountable and uplift this city by giving our community a voice.

Today, the Long Beach Media Guild represents 14 employees of the Long Beach Journalism Initiative — the parent-nonprofit that runs the Post and Business Journal. LBJI launched and gained its 501(c)(3) status at the end of 2023 and its future remains uncertain.

Journalism is not dead — but that doesn’t mean the industry and its workers aren’t imperiled. That’s why we’ve chosen to become active stewards of our own circumstances and form the Long Beach Media Guild under Media Guild of the West (NewsGuild-CWA Local 39213).

In doing this, we join our peers at the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun Times, The Arizona Republic, The Denver Post, the Miami Herald, The New York Times, The Indy Star and others who have chosen to stand in solidarity for a strong press and fair treatment in their newsrooms.

By forming this union, we know that we can safeguard the workers behind our organization and make a great newsroom even better.

The LBMG will ensure the following:

• Transparency and accountability from our leadership team and Board of Directors;

• Safeguards for a fair and collaborative work environment;

• Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the newsroom and our coverage;

• A workplace culture that respects and values its employees;

• A newsroom that fosters community and solidarity;

• Benefits that not only support physical health but place importance on mental health;

• Wages that allow staff to live comfortably in the communities they serve.

We, the members of LBMG, thank the communities of the Long Beach area for supporting and investing in the coverage that makes our city strong and holds those in power to a higher standard.