Workers at five PNW newspapers ratify contract

Collective bargaining agreement locks in industry-leading AI protections, wage gains, and raises the salary floor

BELLINGHAM, WA (June 30, 2026) — The union newsroom workers at McClatchy Media-owned outlets the Bellingham Herald, Olympian, Tacoma News Tribune, Tri-City Herald, and Idaho Statesman have secured a new collective bargaining agreement after more than a year on contract negotiations. The ratification comes after workers walked out on a one-day strike in May; at the time, the chair of the Washington State News Guild share many newsroom workers had gone without a raise for nearly two years.

“Solidarity works. By working together and leveraging our collective power, we made a raft of improvements that will make an immediate impact on our members,” said Eric Rosane, Washington State NewsGuild secretary and Tri-City Herald accountability reporter.

Newsroom workers on strike in May. Photo: Tacoma DSA via Facebook

Contract wins include raises of 7.2% to 15.5% over the three years of the contract, with immediate raises ranging from 3% to 11%. Workers also secured a higher annual salary floor for current workers, rising to $52,000. The contract includes a ban on mandatory production quotas in performance reviews, a key contract demand as newsroom workers fiercely defend the time needed to produce quality, in-depth journalism on the issues that matter to their local readership.

Workers are also celebrating language in artificial intelligence in the newsroom secured in the contract, which the Washington and Idaho NewsGuilds have characterized as some of the strongest AI protections in the news industry. The collective bargaining agreement locks in a ban on AI replacing staff, decreasing hours, or reducing working hours for bargaining unit staff. And AI cannot be used to do bargaining unit work without direct oversight from union journalists.

In a social media post announcing contract ratification, the Washington and Idaho NewsGuilds thanked supporters for their solidarity during the contract fight: “We hope every time you see an in-depth article or video by one of us, you’ll feel pride in knowing you played a role in making sure these are the kinds of quality stories that continue to be told.”