Dispatch News Guild

The Dispatch News Guild is officially official! We won our election 33-5 to unionize, according to the ballots tallied this afternoon by the NLRB.

We are thrilled by the results. This vote shows that the people who make this newsroom move want their voices heard. Together, we have won a seat at the table. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with USA Today Co.

Thanks to our allies in the community for your continued support! ✊🏼🗞️❤️

It’s Election Day!

We are so excited that the day is finally here where we can tell USA Today Co. that we want a seat at the table and a voice in our newsroom’s future.

We are organized. We are united. And we will win!

One day more! Tomorrow is our NLRB election 🙌🏼

Jordan Laird knows the benefits of working in a union newsrooms. She received equity raises to her salary when new employees came in making more than her. Even when the newsroom was remote during the pandemic, she had community with her colleagues.

But since coming to The Dispatch, it’s been a steady stream of departures and going-away parties. Not a great bode of confidence for early career reporters. Forming a union won’t fix everything, but it will certainly give our newsroom a voice in our future, so people like Jordan can look forward to a long career in this industry.

It’s Election Week!!

Patrick Flaherty is better known as the Podfather at The Dispatch. Not only does he produce all of our podcasts and audio content, he’s a Swiss army knife of our digital operations. He livestreams press conferences, sends push alerts, updates social media, edits video and goes above and beyond to help his colleagues’ work shine.

Though his name might not be on a byline often, Flaherty is a vital member of our newsroom. We want a union to make sure all members of The Dispatch and The Advocate have a voice and a future.

It’s been one month since the Dispatch News Guild went public and we have one week until our election!

We are organized. We are united. And we will win! ✊🏼❤️📰

We’re less than two weeks out from our election!

Dean Narciso has spent nearly 40 years of his career at The Dispatch. He’s seen the paper transition from family ownership to corporate ownership. With those changes, he’s also seen fewer raises and benefits, countless talented colleagues leave for better-paying jobs, layoffs, buyouts and shrinking resources for the newsroom.

Unionizing, Narciso said, will help ensure that his younger colleagues can have long and fulfilling careers in newsrooms just like he has experienced.

New year, new Dispatch News Guild testimony!

Adam Jardy is the man behind The Dispatch’s Ohio State men’s basketball coverage. Jardy is an example to the whole newsroom of what it looks like to truly cover a beat. He has great relationships with his sources. He is detailed, personable, professional and dedicated to the fans who follow the team and his work.

Jardy pitched in across the sports desk this season and covered OSU football for several weeks. He brings his here-to-help attitude to our union as well. Forming a union is one way we can better support each other across the newsroom.

Happy Monday! Here’s another testimonial from a journalist in the Dispatch News Guild to start your week.

Samantha Hendrickson moved to Columbus in 2022 for a job with Report for America. When a position opened up at The Dispatch, she jumped at the opportunity to stay in Ohio and keep reporting in our community. But staying in local news is getting harder.

Joining the Dispatch News Guild, she said, is an opportunity to build a better and more collaborative future in our newsroom.

Happy Holidays from the Dispatch News Guild!

We at the Dispatch News Guild are three weeks away from our NLRB election! As we approach the election, hear from our journalists about why unionizing is important to them.

Up first is Laura Bischoff, a state government reporter who covers Ohio politics. Her work has helped change state law to protect Ohioans from viscous dog attacks and exposed what happens inside the state’s juvenile detention centers.

Laura is an award-winning journalist with four decades of experience. But her salary has not kept up with inflation since coming to The Dispatch. “Unionizing,” she said, “is the best path forward.”

We are overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from the community since going public last week! Your support and solidarity will help carry us through our campaign.

You can continue to show your support by liking and sharing our posts, signing our petition for voluntary recognition, and using the hashtag !