by Kansas City Star Unit Chair, Glenn Rice
After six months of bargaining, the Kansas City News Guild, a bargaining unit within the United Media Guild, unanimously approved its first collective bargaining agreement.
Every single member of the (51 member) KC News Guild voted to approve a three-year contract with The Kansas City Star management and its parent company McClatchy.
The contract guarantees three years of across-the-board raises for all KC News Guild members, as well as a significant ratification bonus and a higher minimum salary for all newsroom Guild employees.
The agreement also provides important workplace protections for all Guild members, enshrines a separation from The Star’s opinion department and gives part-time members a much-needed pay increase and new benefits.
Negotiations between the Guild and attorneys for McClatchy began in June 2022. The two sides held lengthy negotiating sessions 14 times during that period which concluded in late December.
“Our Guild came to the bargaining table in good faith this summer. We had tough, but important conversations with corporate and local management, fought hard for our members and came to an agreement that protects them and the important journalism The Star provides to our community,” KC News Guild said on its Twitter account following the ratification.