Journalists at public radio station WITF in Harrisburg, Pa., and the LNP newspaper voted Monday to unionize.
The owners of LNP and its LancasterOnline website gifted the news outlet to WITF in 2023.
The journalists voted 39-10 in favor of unionizing with The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia Local 38010, the union said in a press release. Four employees did not vote and four votes were challenged and not opened, Bill Ross, executive director of The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia, told Current.
The unit comprises 57 members, including reporters, photographers, copy editors, deputy editors and other news production workers, Ross said. Three of the employees work for WITF, while the rest work for LNP and LancasterOnline.
Pennon, the parent organization of the news outlets, laid off 10% of WITF and LNP’s workforce last year.
Diane Mastrull, president of The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia, said the successful vote came “amid hostile attempts by the company to discourage and intimidate.”
“In central Pennsylvania, courage played out this week, with LancasterOnline employees standing up for themselves and overwhelmingly saying ‘yes’ to unionizing and recognizing their strength in numbers,” she said.
“Our goal has always been to provide employees with the facts about unionization and the benefits of working together directly,” Pennon CEO Ron Hetrick said in an email to Current. “We believe that collaboration without a third party is the best path forward, which is why we encouraged them to vote no. The information we shared complied directly with NLRB guidelines and requirements, which prohibit intimidation of any kind.”
“The decision was ultimately in the hands of our employees, and we respect the choice they have made,” he added.
“When we approached the Guild in November, a lot of people were unhappy with recent changes in our leadership and in our newsroom,” LNP investigative reporter Brett Sholtis said in the release. “But this quickly became about so much more than that. We want to make sure we’re able to keep serving the community.”
“We all brought different things to the table, but we have been united in our belief that joining The NewsGuild is the very best way to ensure the future of news in Lancaster and central Pennsylvania for years to come,” Sholtis added.
The union and management will now negotiate an initial contract.