Months into bargaining a new contract with no management counterproposal on wages, the Seattle Times Union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Pacific Northwest’s largest newspaper on Wednesday. The union is accusing the company of failing to bargain in good faith; for three months, management has refused to produce an initial management wage proposal until all other economic issues are negotiated.
At the first bargaining session in March, workers made clear that pay is a central issue this contract cycle. The union bargaining team came ready with a wage proposal, noting that many newsroom workers were struggling to afford basic expenses on current salaries. That readiness to negotiate a fundamental section of the collective bargaining agreement has not been shared by management, per the union.