Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald newsroom staff votes in favor of union representation

Journalists at the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald voted in favor of having a union represent newsroom staffers, according to the official ballot count held Wednesday at the National Labor Relations Board office in downtown Miami.

The vote was 66-24 in favor of recognition of One Herald Guild. The result came three weeks after eligible staff members cast their ballots during an election held at Miami Herald Media Company headquarters in Doral.

“We welcome the news and look forward to beginning our discussions with the bargaining unit,” Aminda Marqués González, executive editor and president and publisher of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald, said in a statement. “Meanwhile we are confident that all members of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald teams are focused on delivering local news in the public interest.”

“We can’t wait to work toward getting a stronger voice in the newsroom on issues related to hiring, wages, leave, as well as editorial and financial decisions that have a daily impact on our lives,” One Herald Guild said in a statement posted to Twitter after the vote.

The effort to unionize is part of a national movement as newsrooms face financial pressures in the midst of a digital transformation. The South Florida publications are part of 30 news outlets owned by McClatchy.

One Herald Guild is a new unit of The NewsGuild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America with headquarters in Washington, D.C.

This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 2:37 PM.