Jon Schleuss | The NewsGuild
On Wednesday, June 24, staff at High Country News based in Colorado ratified their first collective bargaining agreement after unionizing in early 2024. The agreement covers 13 workers including writers, editors, photographers, customer service specialists, membership development managers, finance and payroll employees and more.
The 44-page contract locks in dozens of wins at the 56-year-old nonprofit magazine, including:
- Just cause protections providing job security and requiring due process in discipline and terminations
- Ensured paid sick time, vacation and time to take care of a family member who is ill
- Up to 12 paid weeks of family leave
- The right to refuse unsafe work assignments
- Ethical AI protections for workers and readers
- Prohibition on the employer installing surveillance on personal devices
- A 4.5% wage increase in the first year of the contract
- Establishment of a labor-management committee
- A 3% employer 401(k) contribution plus up to an additional 1.5% match if employees contribute at least 3% of their salary
- A protected grievance and arbitration procedure to handle disputes
- Strong legal protections for employees writing for High Country News
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