Journalists strike McClatchy outlets in Washington, Idaho

Workers at the five local newspapers are walking off the job after more than a year of negotiations for a new contract

TACOMA, WA (May 26, 2026) — Union journalists, photographers, and columnists whose labor powers the Bellingham Herald, Idaho Statesman, Olympian, Tacoma News Tribune, and Tri-City Herald are on a one-day strike Tuesday, hitting the picket line in protest of McClatchy Media’s ongoing failures to negotiate fair wages.

Workers voted by 93% to authorize a strike after a May 5 bargaining session that saw the company stall on a “substantive wage offer,” per the Washington State & Idaho NewsGuilds (Pacific Northwest NewsGuild, CWA Local 37082) which have been engaged in joint bargaining with McClatchy since May of 2025. Both unions filed unfair labor practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, citing the company’s bad-faith bargaining.

“McClatchy is starving its journalists by denying them a livable, fair wage,” said Michael Lycklama, chair of the Idaho News Guild, in a news release announcing the strike vote. “While workers tighten their belts, McClatchy has spent the past two years acquiring tabloid magazines and spending millions on artificial intelligence. Instead of lavishing money on new ventures that threaten our trust and credibility with readers, we are demanding McClatchy invest in the actual workers that make their products possible.”

Tacoma News Tribune workers during an informational picket on May 1. Photo: WA & ID NewsGuilds

Workers have been engaging in informational pickets, engaging the community in the fight against low pay at McClatchy papers. Per reporting by a NewsGuild-represented journalist, more than 75% of the workers make less than a living wage for the regions they work in. Yet after several months of bargaining over economics, the company is refusing to budge from an offer of 3% raises upon contract ratification with 2% annual raises in the following years. That offer is still a net loss for newsroom staff; the consumer price index rose 3.8% in April over a year prior.

While workers are on strike, they’re urging supporters to pledge to respect their digital picket line and refuse to click any links to the Bellingham Herald, Idaho Statesman, Olympian, Tacoma News Tribune, and Tri-City Herald websites.

“Many of our Guild members have worked without a raise for nearly two years,” said Kristine Sherred, chair of the Washington State News Guild, in a release. “We are calling on McClatchy to come back to the table with the real decision makers to negotiate a fair wage so our journalists can afford to stay in the communities we cover.”

By striking, workers are showing that their labor is what makes McClatchy’s profits possible. But for workers already making such low wages, missing pay is a hardship. Supporters can help lift that burden by donating to the workers’ strike fund.

Hedgefund-owned McClatchy Media Company operates 30 newspapers across 14 states, including outlets in Florida, North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, and California.