Up next: Everett (WA) Herald

I think their is a lesson to be drawn from the struggles of the Guild here and also in Dallas. I think the Guild won votes at both papers votes to organize but has not been able to negotiate a contract. The Guild does not have much leverage in negotiating a contract in these situations. And any kind of strike could well kill the print edition of the paper and maybe the whole thing. So what does management have to lose by endlessly negotiating?

 

The Guild can work when it is negotiating with newspaper owners who, at least to some degree, care about journalism and the community the newspaper serves.

When the owners are purely interested in profit and live thousands of miles away, as is the case with the Everett Herald’s new ownership group, it’s tough to have fair or reasonable negotiations.

 

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How many owners have the economic ability to care about journalism and community service? The publishers that cared about such things have had to sell out. Companies buying papers now are vulture investors trying to take as much out of the carcass as possible.

 

It could be argued that the Blethen family, longtime owners of The Seattle Times, is one. But overall, sadly, you are correct.

 

"Welcome to your open-heart surgery, Mr. Carpenter. We had to lay off half of our customary surgical team but rest assured you will still receive the same top-flight medical care during your procedure."

 

What difference will the one-day strike at the Everett Herald make? Will it prompt the owners to change their ways? What successful newspapers strikes, even one-day ones, have there been in the past five years? How is the Everett Herald doing financially? Might a string of losses have prompted the layoffs?

 

I remain puzzled why the Seattle Times did not buy the Everett paper and merge it into the Seattle paper with some kind of Everett edition.

 

A few years ago Atrium Health ended its contract with an anesthesiologist group that had been with it for four decades. With the clock ticking before the anesthesiologists were kicked to the curb, they took the dispute public, running scare ads that portrayed doctors not being able to wake up their patients after surgery. Unlike any radio ads I've ever heard.

 

Did it work?

 

The strike has been extended, though I doubt they can stay out long-term as is happening in Pittsburgh. https://komonews.com/news/local/eve...taff-laid-off-snohomish-county-newsroom-union

 

Update (of sorts) and it's not good news for several smaller papers in Oregon.

https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/local-family-owned-eo-media-group-sells-carpenter-media/#:~:text=Local family-owned EO Media Group sells to Carpenter Media Group,-by: Jenna Deml&text=PORTLAND, Ore.,Carpenter Media Group (CMG).

This includes newspapers in Astoria, Bend and Pendleton, among others in the EO Media Group.

Judging by how Carpenter has gutted Everett (Wash.) and other papers it has purchased, this looks bad.