Local journalists strike for fair pay, AI safeguards

Eight months into negotiations, Adams MultiMedia is proposing wage increases that would see even journalists with more than 20 years of service paid less than Skagit County living wage

MOUNT VERNON, WA (July 29, 2026) — Union journalists at three newspaper in Northwest Washington went on strike on Friday in a planned, limited work stoppage as they continue to fight for a fair contract with owner Adams MultiMedia. Launched with the aim of securing a tentative agreement that would end the strike on Monday, journalists at the Anacortes American, Skagit Valley Herald, and Stanwood-Camano News continued their strike into Tuesday as no deal was reached.

Journalists are returning to work on Wednesday continuing to fight for a contract that raises current low wages and locks-in guidelines on the use of AI in the newsroom. Workers are pushing for the company’s existing AI guidelines to be included in the contract while the company insists that “no limitations” on AI in the newsroom be included in the contract, including no limits on using AI to generate news stories.

“The company’s refusal to commit to any meaningful safeguards on AI usage within the contract threatens not only reader trust and the accuracy of the company’s news content but also the careers of its journalists and the future of its newspapers,” journalists wrote in a press release on Monday.

The union journalists of the Anacortes American, Skagit Valley Herald, and Stanwood-Camano Times. Photo: Skaget News Workers, PNW NewsGuild

The eight journalists at these local papers make between $19.10 and $22.29 an hour, including workers who’ve been with the company for more than 20 years. They’re proposing an increase in minimum pay to $20 and hour and modest annual raises.

“By 2027, those employees [with less than three years of service] would receive $20.40,” wrote union journalists, sharing their wage proposal. “Under that proposal, employees with three to five years of service would receive $22 per hour in 2026, with annual raises culminating in $24.44 per hour in 2027. Employees with five or more years of service would receive $24 in 2026, rising to $24.48 in 2027.”

The company has proposed an unequal wage floor — $19.48 for Skagit Valley Herald workers, $18 for those at the Anacortes American and Stanwood-Camano News — and smaller raises that would still see even the longest serving employees making less than the Skagit County living wage of $23.87.

“Journalists often work second jobs to make ends meet while paying off student loans and struggling to both find and keep housing they can afford,” per the workers’ press release. “Without steady wage increases, the journalists that are dedicated to reporting on your community will be priced out.”

Throughout their strike, journalists have received vocal support from their readers.

“We are human and need the human voice to represent us,” wrote one reader in a comment on a video of a worker sharing why they’re striking. “You and your colleagues stay strong and fight for what is right. You are all invaluable and deserve compensation.”

Journalists are part of the Pacific Northwest NewsGuild (TNG-CWA Local 37082). Contract negotiations began in November 2025 and workers and the company are scheduled to return to the bargaining table in August. If no deal is reached, journalists warn they may launch an open-ended strike to secure their contract.

Subscribers and supporters are encouraged to contact company management to express their solidarity with journalists; donations can also be made to the workers’ GoFundMe to help keep them whole if they’re forced to launch another strike.

TAKE A STAND: Contact the Adams Multimedia Publisher Rebecca Poynter and Human Resources Manager Deb Brook and urge them to settle a fair contract with journalists. Poynter can be reached at 360-416-2100 or rpoynter@skagitpublishing.com. Brooks can be reached at 360-416-2187 or dbrooks@skagitpublishing.com.