DALLAS — After nearly 900 days of bargaining, the Dallas News Guild has concluded their negotiations with Dallas Morning News executives and approved a new three-year contract.
The contract guarantees minimum salaries for guild members, who are Dallas Morning News employees, and a yearly pay increase.
"This historic and progressive contract ensures every corner of our newsroom will be adequately compensated for our revelatory content," Dallas News Guild Unit Chair Maggie Prosser said in a statement. "And we’re thrilled our members will have the security to give our readers quality journalism for years to come."
Guild members, who work at the Dallas Morning News and Al Dia Dallas, passed the collective bargaining agreement 122-0, with 99% of guild members voting.
The contract also gives guild members better protections against layoffs as well as better severance packages for about 130 Dallas Morning News journalists.
"Our mission now is to keep our Guild united and strong," Prosser added in the statement. "We welcome anyone who wants to contribute."
Of the 130-plus union members, the membership includes reporters, data journalists, columnists, copy editors, librarians, audio producers, web producers, photographers, videographers and page designers.
The Dallas News Guild was first formed in October 2021 after eligible newsroom workers voted to form a union with a margin of more than 75%.
This is the first major newspaper newsroom in Texas to unionize. The union is part of NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America, a newspaper journalist-founded labor union which was first founded in 1933.
WFAA has reached out to Dallas Morning News executives for comment but has not received a statement as of Thursday afternoon.
