“I was thrilled to see my beloved New York Daily News form a union. As I joined the Daily News under the Zuckerman reign, an existing union was broken as the paper rose from bankruptcy.
I worked at that great newspaper for 24 years but upon retirement received no pension or health bennies which still baffles working people, especially union protected Daily News readers, when I tell them.
I was lucky enough in my mid-20s to join the Writers Guild of America as a screenwriter. As it turns out my second job provided me with a nice WGA pension and lifelong medical coverage. That’s what a strong union does for you.
I trace my support of organized labor to how it changed my father’s life when his electric appliance factory job at rock bottom wages was organized by Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Suddenly my dad had a hefty raise, job security, a 35 hour work week, paid overtime, paid holidays and sick leave and medical coverage for his family. We had our very first meager vacation to a beach bungalow in Keansburg, NJ because my dad had a union guaranteed paid vacation. That union status took my family from a housing project into the middle class and that’s why my father toasted Local 3 President Harry Van Arsdale before every Thanksgiving dinner.
I wish my 45 years in journalism had provided the same benefits my factory worker father enjoyed. It did not. But I am overjoyed that the Daily News, the paper of New York’s working people, has once again formed a union. Stand strong and united against owner pushback.
Long live the New York Daily News.”
— Denis Hamill, writer, novelist, screenwriter. Daily News columnist/reporter 1991-2015
“Helpless. That's how I felt on July 23, 2018, when I watched my friends and colleagues haphazardly shepherded into different offices to learn their fates. Within a few hours, half of the newsroom's employees were gone. We had no say. No input. No voice — which was ironic, since the Daily News has been known as ‘the eyes, the ears, the honest voice of New York.’
The News is an institution, and it's sad to see New York's hometown newspaper weakened and diminished by corporate greed and ineptitude. Employees deserve a seat at the table. Even after I was promoted amid the mass layoffs to run the national breaking news desk, I felt little ability to influence change and grew discouraged because of corporate indifference. I'm proud that the newsroom's employees have decided to unionize and hope that it will ensure that their voices are heard — that they never feel so helpless again.”
— Dan Good, author. Daily News national editor and reporter, 2015-2019
“To generations of New Yorkers, the Daily News is New York, like a bagel with a schmear or a slice of Ray's Famous on the go. During the more than 25 years I worked there, the paper covered the city the way lifelong New Yorkers expect it to be covered: with grit, lots of verbs and the sometimes mocked belief that in the end, New York City will somehow see it through.”
— Greg Smith, reporter at The City. Daily News reporter 1993-2018
“My name is Ethan Sacks and I worked at the New York Daily News for twenty years — between 1996 and 2016. In some ways, however, I never left. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't peruse the website or grab a hard copy from the neighborhood bodega. It gives me comfort to see Kerry Burke is working the crime beat and Pat Leonard is covering my Giants; that Larry McShane and Leonard Greene are putting on clinics on how to write a tabloid article; that Peter Sblendorio is putting the latest movie in context; that Ginger Otis is running a tight newsroom, and Andy Clayton is filling out the lineup card in sports.
Because the type of journalism they do matters, maybe even more now than it did when Joseph Medill Patterson first fired up the printing presses just over a century ago. Because when I was returning to the newsroom after covering a crime scene back in the day, I couldn't help but notice the straphangers on the subway reading my paper. It still fills me with pride to hear the rustling of pages turning on the subway today. Because we were looking out for them, whether shining a light on corruption, advocating for them, or just making their commute a little more fun. Because the type of work we did—the type of work the reporters and editors and photographers at the News do now—is essential for the people of New York and beyond.”
— Ethan Sacks, Marvel Comics writer. Daily News film editor 1996-2016
“Rich bloodsuckers like Alden Capital have made obscene profits by degrading newspapers and pocketing the savings for themselves. The New York Daily News is too crucial to its city to meet the same fate, and a union is its journalists’ best hope at stopping them.”
— Lauren Theisen, co-owner at Defector Media. Daily News reporter 2019-20.
"Unions don't get us everything, but they help put the dignity into labor better than anything else, and the drive to bring the union back to the News is an inspiration to everyone who is slogging away in this business. We fought hard in the '90s to hold onto the Guild, even beating those Tribune Corp bullies at their own game during the strike. Who knows? If Bob Maxwell hadn't turned out to be a crook and then tumbled off his yacht, we might have held on even longer. Stay tough. You are fighting the good fight and even though it may take a while and be harder than you thought, it is worth the struggle."
— Tom Robbins, freelance journalist. Daily News investigative reporter 1988-2000
“The Morning Call Guild warmly welcomes our new union family at The Daily News. They are making the right decision to unionize their workplace as Alden Global Capital looms large over our parent company, Tribune Publishing. It’s in our unity that we stand up for one another and for the journalism we work so hard to produce.”
— The Allentown Morning Call Guild
“When the Chicago Tribune newspapers unionized, a sympathetic boss said to me: 'What took you so long?' Now more than ever, journalists need to take the future into their own hands. Welcome to the Guild.”
— Gregory Pratt | Chicago Tribune Guild President & City Hall Reporter
“It's incredibly soul-affirming to know that our colleagues at the New York Daily News are joining us in the fight for our collective rights as workers, and by extension, the communities we serve. I'm personally pleased to get to work closely with more of the journalists whose pages we design every day. The time to build power is NOW. Happy union birthday, New York!”
— Sara Harvey | Digital production Studio, Page Production Specialist
“What always amazed me about organizing at the Tribune was how much happier, collaborative and friendly the place became. That isn't to say everyone is best friends, or that typical workplace friction doesn't exist. But outside of the four corners of the contract and the ability to speak up about how your paper is operating — important, bread and butter stuff — there's this incredible secondary benefit that sort of happens organically. You get to know people you might not have otherwise even spoken to, you start to understand their personal struggles and professional questions, and the work and workplace improve as a result. I know that you're finding these yourselves. Enjoy it, nurture it. Welcome!”
— Charlie J. Johnson | Chicago Tribune, Editor
“When I was approached about unionizing our newsroom, I knew, without any hesitation, that it was the right path forward — because the strongest defense against corporate greed is a unified workforce. Without a union, you have no voice in the decisions your company’s executives make about you and how you do your jobs. Your union is your voice.”
— Jennifer Sheehan | Allentown Morning Call, Features, Entertainment Reporter
“As an editor with Tribune News Service, where we move New York Daily News stories on the wire across all Tribune properties and to our clients around the world every day, I’m thrilled for the Daily News taking the exciting step of unionizing their newsroom. I look forward to further collaboration and building our collective power as Alden and corporate greed continue to threaten our newsrooms and communities. Congratulations and welcome to the Tribune Guild family!”
— Katie Foran-McHale | Tribune Content Agency, Editor
“We know that hedge fund owners - especially Alden - will cut and cut until there is nothing left, to enrich a very few. We didn't go into this business because we thought the press was optional. We know we are essential. The News Guild offers us the best path to continuing to do our jobs with dignity. Welcome to the News Guild!”
— Wendy Fox Weber | Chicago Suburban papers, Entertainment Editor and columnist
“I remember the devastation I felt, as a fellow journalist and a human being, when Tribune announced it would be laying off half the storied New York Daily News staff. We all know journalism is a calling to serve the public and to have that ripped away by your own company is devastating. That’s why I’m so thrilled to hear the NYDN is unionizing. Welcome, comrades! Let’s do this!”
— Danielle Ohl | Capital Gazette, Reporter
“As an editor at The Daily Meal, I sat side-by-side with the talented journalists at the New York Daily News for years and saw many of the devastating changes and cuts made at this iconic newspaper, including losing our office space. I’m thrilled to welcome them as a union and to see them standing up for themselves during these trying times.”
— Carolyn Menyes | The Daily Meal, Senior Editor