New York Daily News journalists leave work for a day

Journalists at the New York Daily News walked off the job Thursday for the first time in more than three decades.

The editorial employees of the Daily News Union, formed in 2021, are in negotiations for their first contract. The union called a one-day work stoppage to protest the cuts, as well as a new policy requiring workers to obtain prior approval to work overtime.

The Daily News, founded in 1919, was once a formidable urban tabloid that competed for scoops against its rival, the New York Post, and was one of the largest newspapers in the country in terms of circulation. But in recent years the paper has been gutted by ownership changes and staff reductions, as it struggles with a steadily declining circulation and dwindling revenue.

In 2021, its parent company, Tribune Publishing, was acquired by Alden Global Capital, an investment firm that has purchased hundreds of newspapers across the country, gaining a reputation for making deep newsroom cuts .

About a third of the union’s members have left the Daily News since spring 2022, with now 54 members, according to the union.

“The reality is, we are strapped for cash,” Daily News reporter and union representative Michael Gartland said in a statement. “As a result, staff are reduced, which means our ability to cover the city is diminished. »

A defender for Alden Global Capital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The last work stoppage at the Daily News lasted five months in 1990 and 1991.

On Thursday, Daily News journalists plan to protest outside a coworking space that is now serving as a temporary office. The Daily News permanently closed its Lower Manhattan newsroom in 2020.