Reuters Journalists Authorize Strike as Union Negotiations Reach Boiling Point

Josh Eidelson, Bloomberg News

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 05: The corporate logo of Thomson Reuters is seen on May 5, 2014 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) , Photographer: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

(Bloomberg) -- Thomson Reuters Corp. journalists in the US have authorized their union to call a strike against the media company, which they say has slow-walked negotiations for higher pay and other benefits.

The vote does not guarantee a work stoppage at the 171-year-old newswire, but allows the union’s bargaining committee to announce a strike if progress isn’t made in contract talks, which resume Nov. 14.

“We are still working very hard to get a deal at the table,” said Beverly Sloan, a union representative. “But we want a deal this year. There’s not a lot of this year left.”

Union members were notified on Friday of the vote’s result, in which 81% voted to green-light a potential strike, according to the Communications Workers of America’s NewsGuild. The NewsGuild represents about 300 Reuters reporters, photographers and video journalists in the US.

The union’s collective bargaining agreement has been expired for almost two years, with workers and the company disagreeing about pay, nondisclosure agreements and return-to-work policies, the guild said. The union is asking for higher guaranteed annual raises than Reuters’ proposed 2% to 3.25%, and for some backpay for the past two years.

“Reuters is fully committed to constructive negotiations with the NewsGuild as we work towards a contract resolution for our US union employees,” a company spokesperson said. “These conversations are ongoing and we will continue to work with the Guild committee to settle on mutually agreeable terms.”

The NewsGuild represents 26,000 workers at employers including The New York Times, the Washington Post and Bloomberg LP’s subsidiary Bloomberg Industry Group. Bloomberg LP, parent of Bloomberg News, competes with Reuters as a provider of financial news and services.

Guild members at Reuters mounted a one-day work stoppage in August, timed to coincide with the company’s quarterly earnings announcement. If employees walk out again, there will be no set end-date, Sloan said.

The guild has also filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Board accusing Reuters of failing to negotiate in good faith.