ProPublica Guild

@propublicaguild.org

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We are ProPublica’s union. We are the workers at America’s biggest investigative newsroom. www.propublicaguild.org

Hey y'all my name is Cassandra Jaramillo and I'm a national reporter at ProPublica and vice chair of the ProPublica Guild. We are calling on management to agree to the outstanding proposals we have left on the bargaining table. One of the things that I really care about is making sure that we have transparent pay scales for our members and wage increases that keep up with inflation. While I'm very grateful for what I'm able to earn as a reporter, it's not the same story for some of my colleagues in different departments. I'm very proud of the fact that our union is a wall-to-wall shop so we represent folks who work in the IT department, who work putting on events for us, and those who also fundraise and they are just as critical to the success of the organization as the reporters that we have across the country. I know that we can find the solution with management and get this contract done after three years of bargaining.
My name is Mark Olalde, and I'm a reporter at ProPublica. The members of our union report, write, copy, edit, fundraise for, photograph, and otherwise produce some of the finest investigative journalism in America. But after spending years at the bargaining table, our management continues to refuse certain contractual protections to workers who so deeply deserve them. ProPublica should be the example for the industry. That means fair pay that ensures even our lowest paid members can pay their bills. That means layoff protections. And that means guardrails around artificial intelligence to ensure the quality, accuracy, and integrity of our work remains unimpeachable. The workers who make ProPublica so great are the ones who deserve a say in how it's run. And that is why we're demanding a fair contract now.
Hi my name is Alex Bandoni and I'm a visuals editor at ProPublica. I'm disappointed by management's return to office proposal. I've loved working at ProPublica for five years now and I work a hybrid schedule between the New York office and home. I'm fighting to maintain a flexible hybrid schedule in our contract. As a soon-to-be mother, the flexibility is a resource that preserves my ability to maintain my work productivity and build a family. For example, preserving time that would otherwise be taken up commuting to drop off my kid at daycare. A flexible hybrid schedule allows us to retain and support employees long term as they grow professionally and personally, building and caring for their families and loved ones. Thank you.
I'm Julie Kliegman, and I'm a copy editor at ProPublica. I'm new to the organization, but my colleagues have been fighting for years for a fair contract. We deserve adequate pay. That means salary floors that match the cost of living and annual increases that keep up with inflation. And we deserve layoff protections and AI guardrails that will protect the quality and integrity of our work. Our management must agree to a fair contract now.
My name is Asia Fields and I'm an engagement reporter at ProPublica. We've been fighting for our first contract for about three years now and one of the main issues that really motivates me is wages. I want to make sure my colleagues across the organization are paid a fair living wage for their work and there's really no reason for that not to be the case. I've worked in smaller local newsrooms in the past where the budget's been tighter but at ProPublica we're so fortunate to have a large network of donors and supporters who want to see our work continue. A big part of that is making sure that people feel stability here and can see themselves growing and don't feel like they have to get a second job or even leave the industry and find another job in order to make ends meet. I'm really hoping that with your continued support we can cross the finish line and get a contract that is both great for our members but also for the industry at large.
I'm Doug Bock-Clark, and I'm a reporter at ProPublica where I cover threats to democracy. I'm making this video because we at ProPublica, the union, are on what's hopefully the final round of contract negotiations with management in order to get a contract that lives up to ProPublica's ideals. I'm very proud to be part of ProPublica. It's a place that does public interest journalism, and public interest journalism that often makes the world a better place, that has real impact. But our contract should live up to that. One thing that I'm concerned about is some of my colleagues are not getting paid enough. I've heard stories of people having to work a second job, DoorDash, things like that, in order to make ends meet. ProPublica can be extremely generous with its senior reporters, with those of us who have been lucky enough to be here a long time, but for entry-level people or people on the operations side, social media, business, they're not getting paid enough...
Hi, my name is Kirsten Berg. I'm a research reporter at ProPublica and a proud member of ProPublica's Guild. Working at ProPublica is my dream job. I am consistently awed by the investigative reporting that my colleagues produce. Today I am speaking in solidarity with my fellow union members in our call for a fair contract, so that we can keep this work sustainable. I care most about a contract that will lift the salary floors of our lowest paid employees, so that they can afford to live in the cities that we work in. I also think that we all deserve wage increases that keep up with inflation and standard layoff protections. If you support ProPublica's reporting, I hope you will also support our fight for a fairer contract, so that we can keep doing this work for years to come.
I'm Max Blau, and I'm a reporter on ProPublica's South team. I love working here, and I love working here because of the people who are my colleagues. I think it's really important that all of us make a living wage, but some of my colleagues have to work multiple jobs, and others, like me, are penalized by ProPublica's pay structure because we live in areas deemed to be having a lower cost of living, even though we do the same quality of work as our colleagues elsewhere around the country. That's not fair. That's why we need fairer wages, and that's why we need management to come to the table now and agree to the terms of a fairer contract.
My name is Shoshana Gordon. I am a visuals editor at ProPublica. I'm so grateful that at this job I get to work from home, which is where I'm calling you from. As part of my job, I get to make illustrations that help elevate the stories that my colleagues are working on. So, for example, drawings like these. And it really wouldn't be possible to do in the office. I have my paper, my easel, my ink, my brushes. But here's the thing. Whether my colleagues are making drawings like these, or crunching numbers, or calling sources, we all deserve to be able to choose where we do our best work. That's why I'm asking management, please, let's have a fair contract where we have a flexible return-to-office policy.
Hi, my name is Sabby Robinson. I'm an audio producer for the new podcast at ProPublica called Paper Trail. I'm having a really great time making it. I started about three months ago right after I got laid off at the Washington Post, and so layoff protections are really important for me. Our union there was able to advocate in such a great way for the laid-off employees, and I really believe in making sure that that is a huge part of our contract here at ProPublica.
Hi I'm Katie and I'm on a shoot here in Arkansas. Check out all of our gear that we're carrying. As a video journalist for ProPublica my job requires me to travel a ton and so for me specifically a rigid return to office policy does not make any sense. I have enjoyed the flexibility that we have had for the for my past eight and a half years at ProPublica to work wherever I need to work and so I really need a union contract that preserves that flexibility so that we can continue to be as productive as we have always been.
My name is Liz Barr, and I'm the regional office manager at ProPublica, and I've been very disillusioned by management's reluctance to codify AI guardrails in our contract. Specifically, they have refused to commit to not laying off employees in order to replace them with AI, and they've repeatedly said that this is a promise they can't responsibly keep. I disagree, and I think that that should be an easy promise for them to keep, and I find it very insulting to all of my colleagues, and not just the reporters. We are a wall-to-wall union, and I believe that all of my colleagues in every department, be it visuals, engagement, communications, development, all of them are doing invaluable work to keep this organization running, and I don't believe that any of them can be responsibly replaced by AI. So we need management to make this commitment not to replace us with AI in order for us to have the vital job security that we are fighting for in this contract.
Hi, I'm Zach Despart. I'm a reporter for ProPublica in Texas. I think it's fantastic that we have staff all over the country. It makes our reporting so much stronger. I also think it is really important to pay everyone fairly. We have people living in areas with wildly different costs of living and currently our pay scales don't really account for that. We also have so many people that support our reporting data reporters, copy editors, the visuals team, everybody on the business side and it's really important that they are paid fairly as well. Hopefully our management can come to the table soon. We are so close to getting a good contract and one that can pay everyone here what they deserve.
My name is Elizabeth McCauley. I'm a senior YouTube producer at ProPublica, and I strongly believe that we need layoff protections in our contract. In a media industry that's doing constant layoffs, where reducing head count seems to be a huge trend, it means so much to know that you are secure in your workplace and that you can continue to do your best work.
Hi, my name is Dan Phiffer and I'm an engineer at ProPublica. I help build and maintain propublica.org and I'm proud of the stories I get to help put out into the world. I've been open with my colleagues that I have ethical objections to using large language models in my coding work and so far nobody has told me that's a problem. Everything I've heard from managers and in our published AI principles *sounds* good to me. Internally, I do think we're trying to get this stuff right in our day to day operations. So it's been very frustrating to see such a stark contrast between those efforts to get AI right, in practice, with management's vague and unfettered bargaining position, essentially reserving themselves the right to be as ruthless with this technology as the worst big tech company. The good news is they can fix it in bargaining. Let's see some job security protections and let the workers decide how to use AI in a way that actually preserves the integrity and quality of our work.
I'm Duaa Eldeib. I'm a reporter with ProPublica. I'm based in the Chicago office where I've happily worked for nearly nine years. I love my job. I love ProPublica. I love the people I work with. I love the stories that we get to do that make a real difference in people's lives. And to continue to do that work, we need wages that keep up with inflation. We need better salary floors so that my colleagues don't have to work two jobs. And we need a more equitable pay structure so that there isn't a disparity between national and regional offices. The great news is I believe in ProPublica management to make that happen.
My name is Anna Barry-Jester and I'm a reporter here at ProPublica. ProPublica is a wonderful place to work and it's also a shining light in a very troubled journalism industry. We've never had layoffs and our management has told us repeatedly that they intend to keep it that way, which is fantastic. I love my colleagues, I love working here, and I love the work we do. But when it comes to a contract, management is refusing to agree to basic layoff protections. We need a fair contract now so we can focus on the work that we are known for, investigating and exposing harm and injustice.
My name is Jeremy Kohler. I'm a reporter in St. Louis, and I've been part of ProPublica's Midwest team for the past five years. I love the work that I'm doing for ProPublica. I'm really proud to be part of a team that I think is the best at the company. But I'm deeply concerned about wage disparities across the newsroom. Some colleagues are paid less because they live in places like the Midwest. Communities considered lower cost of living, but they're doing the same work, carrying the same responsibilities, producing journalism at the same level as colleagues all over the country. And they shouldn't be penalized for living in places where ProPublica wants and needs to be. This is bigger than geography, too. We have colleagues doing important work for the company who are not making a living wage, and that should concern all of us. If we want this work to be sustainable, we need contract language that addresses wage disparities and guarantees fair, livable pay for our colleagues.
Hello, my name is Perla Trevizo. I'm a reporter in the Texas team. I've been a journalist for about 20 years. Six of those I spent them at ProPublica. I love the work we do. I love the people I work with. I've been very, very lucky that I haven't had to go through layoffs in my entire time as a journalist and I hope to keep it that way. I hope that one day I get to retire from doing this job, that I get to retire doing it at ProPublica and to do that I would like to see some layoff protections in our contract. Follow us: @propublicaguild
I'm Jeff Ernsthausen and I'm a data reporter here at ProPublica. I'm incredibly proud of the work that my colleagues and I have done over the past eight years since I've been here. I think that work should be rewarded with job security protections that are standard in union contracts, including a system that involves seniority-based layoffs. That's why I'm supporting this union campaign and why I hope you will too. Follow us: @propublicaguild
Hi, my name is Logan Jaffe. I write and edit newsletters at ProPublica. I've worked here for almost nine years and this is a good job. Still, one of the things that concerns me is layoffs. We've seen them across the industry, national outlets, local outlets, non-profit, for-profit, across the gamut. And one of the things our union is arguing for is layoff protections and seniority protections for ProPublica workers. A strong union contract needs to get us there. Follow us: @propublicaguild
I'm Anna Clark and I am a ProPublica reporter in Detroit. One of the things I love best about this place is its infrastructure for doing deep journalism all over the country. I love that. I don't love what it means for us in wages. Those of us in "low cost of living" areas are effectively paying an annual penalty for doing this work in under-chronicled corners of the country. Even though ProPublica has made those places a priority and even though building substantive experience in these places comes at a high cost. In my case, I had to make a job out of no job. I was a full-time self-supporting freelance journalist for many many years, which has lifelong financial consequences. No regrets. I love what I do and I chose to do it in Detroit and not the usual media hubs because I believe it is important. I know my colleagues have similar stories. I feel our unique background and the quality of our work should be accounted for wage-wise in this new contract.
Hi, my name is Mario Ariza and I am the Florida reporter for ProPublica, and that's my cat Obie. Both Obie and I want management to give us a fair contract, which they are refusing to agree to. We deserve adequate pay, that means salary floors that match the cost of living, and annual increases that keep up with inflation, which is very high right now. And we deserve layoff protections and AI guardrails that are going to protect the quality and the integrity of our work here at ProPublica, which is already top notch. Our management must agree to a fair contract now. It's been way too long. Thank you, have a good day, and Obie would like a fair contract too. Follow us: @propublicaguild
Hi, my name is Aliyya Swaby and I'm a reporter on ProPublica's South Team. I feel really lucky to work here at such a stable news outlet and I feel really excited and motivated about the work that my colleagues do to make the world a better place. I also am involved in the union because I want ProPublica to be a better place. I care about making sure that we're a diverse organization and making sure that people who look like me have the opportunity to work here and don't get arbitrarily shut out of opportunities here. A big part of that to me is wages. No one who works at this organization should have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet and yet that is the truth for some of the employees here. Management is pushing back against establishing a higher minimum salary for those colleagues and I want better for my colleagues and I want better for ProPublica.
My name is Penny and I am the IT support specialist at ProPublica and wanted to briefly talk about our union contract. At the heart of this contract is a simple issue, which is fairness. My biggest concern is wages. It should not be normal for hardworking employees at a respected organization like ProPublica to live paycheck to paycheck. We show up, we do the work, and we help keep the organization running and that work should reflect our paychecks. We should still be able to afford groceries, afford medication, and also have fun after work because we are still humans. I'm not just saying this in theory, I'm saying this from experience. I am one of the lower paid employees at this organization and I hustle every day coming to work 4 days a week and then also hustle on the weekends just to make sure that I have enough money for groceries, any other expenses, and just to live...
Hi, I'm Paul Kiel, a reporter at ProPublica. We deserve, all workers deserve wages that at least keep up with inflation because anything less is just a pay cut in disguise. And that's what we got in the post-COVID years before we unionized. Right now, inflation is high, it's rising, and our contract must reflect that reality. Follow us: @propublicaguild
Hey there, Brandon Roberts here. I'm a journalist on the news applications team here at ProPublica. We need a strong contract because I don't think anyone who works at ProPublica should be living paycheck to paycheck. We have disparities across teams, across regions, and in my opinion no one who works at ProPublica, where we say we hire the best, should be living paycheck to paycheck. And that is why we need a strong contract.
My name is Jennifer Smith Richards and I'm a reporter for ProPublica. I work out of ProPublica's Midwest region. We have reporters all over the Midwest. I'm based in Chicago. I have colleagues in St. Louis and Minneapolis and Detroit. The reason that we live in our communities is that it's really important to ProPublica that we have reporters who aren't just parachuting in from the coasts, but who actually live in the communities we cover. The problem for us as a union is that we're not paid the same for substantially the same work. I care so deeply about my colleagues and I want them to be paid fairly for the work that they do and the value they bring. And I don't want any of my colleagues and co-workers to make less than a living wage. That's why we need better contract language to make sure that the colleagues I care so much about are paid fairly.
My name is Rocio Ortega and I am the events manager here at ProPublica. I'm coming up on my five year work anniversary. Over the last month, my financial reality has looked a little something like this. An email from my therapist warning that my payment failed and that my care could be disrupted, a return payment on my car insurance because of insufficient funds, and overdue hospital bills. In the middle of all this, I signed up to do Uber Eats and DoorDash deliveries to make ends meet. I take enormous pride in my work and in helping build ProPublica's events program. Mission-driven work feels sustainable only for people who already have some sort of financial safety net, whether that be family support, inherited wealth, or a partner's income. I know my story is not unique here and I hope leadership seriously reevaluates what it means to provide a living wage for employees across all levels of the organization. Follow us: @propublicaguild
And one of the main issues that really motivates me is wages. It's really important to me that ProPublica continues to be a place that represents fairness and accountability, just like our stories. I'm deeply concerned about wage disparities across the newsroom. Those of us in "low cost of living" areas are effectively paying an annual penalty for doing this work in under-chronicled corners of the country. I have often found myself choosing between buying decent groceries for the week or paying for my daily medication. I think it's really important that all of us make a living wage, but some of my colleagues have to work multiple jobs. No one who works at ProPublica, where we say we hire the best, should be living paycheck to paycheck. And I don't want any of my colleagues and coworkers to make less than a living wage. We deserve adequate pay. That means salary floors that match the cost of living...
Hi there, I'm Peter DiCampo. I am a visuals editor at ProPublica. So, I commission a lot of the photography and illustration that goes with our investigative stories. I've also been doing more of my own photojournalism for our stories in other parts of the world and right outside my door here in Minneapolis. And the thing about that is that, like other jobs at ProPublica, that cannot be replaced by A.I. And we know that that is important to our unit. And we know it's important to our readers. And management tells us they have no intention of replacing us with A.I. So, let's go ahead and get strong contract language that reflects that, so that we can keep doing our work. Follow us: @propublicaguild
I'm Lucas Waldron. I'm a graphics editor at ProPublica. I love my job. I love making graphics. And I write a lot of code at my job. So, I'm the first one who might be replaced by A.I. I really need ProPublica's management to agree to not replace any workers with A.I. during the length of our contract. We deserve a fair contract now. Follow us: @propublicaguild
Hi, my name is Jessica Lussenhop. I'm a reporter at ProPublica and the host of our podcast Paper Trail. I have heard from our managers at ProPublica that they do not intend to replace us with A.I. and that's great! But we're going to need that in writing. It hits different in writing. Put it in writing, put it in our contract. I think that that is a policy that everybody at ProPublica can be very proud of, that we can brag on. So, yeah, we're going to need that in writing. Follow us: @propublicaguild
ProPublica workers demand strong AI guardrails. My name is Dan Phiffer I'm an engineer. My name is Mollie I'm a research reporter. I'm Peter DiCampo I am a visuals editor. My name is Eli I'm the grants coordinator. I'm Lucas Waldron I'm a graphics editor. My name is Jessica Lussenhop I'm a reporter. I really care about AI in this contract and getting really strong guardrails. I write a lot of code at my job. So I'm the first one who might be replaced by AI I've been open with my colleagues that I have ethical objections to using large language models in my coding work. We've heard people say the right things internally when it comes to AI but now we need to put those things in writing where it matters in our contract. I have heard from our managers at ProPublica that they do not intend to replace us with AI and that's great! But we're gonna need that in writing. So let's go ahead and get strong contract language that reflects that so that we can keep doing our work.
ProPublica Guild members handing out flyers on the sidewalk.
A picture of a man inside of a circle. Below the picture of him is text that reads "Jonathan Klein of Getty Images is on the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists. ProPublica’s workers are fighting for basic job protections. How can he side with management?"
Meet ProPublica's Board. Carrie Lozano, President & CEO of ITVS: you’ve applauded when powerful organizations make “much-needed changes” that empower and support more voices. We’re asking ProPublica to do just that. Why don’t you stand with us?
Meet ProPublica's Board. Claire Bernard, president of the Mariposa Foundation, has traveled the world to support humanitarian and environmental causes causes. Why doesn’t she support basic protections for the workers at ProPublica?
Meet ProPublica's Board. Henry Louis Gates of Harvard and PBS’ Finding Your Roots: we’re fighting to end unfair wage disparities at ProPublica. How can you support management?
Meet ProPublica's Board. Claire Hoffman has worked as a journalist herself. How can she support management’s refusal to commit to not replacing ProPublica’s journalists with AI?
Meet ProPublica's Board. Katie McGrath, Co-CEO of Bad Robot Productions. McGrath in 2020: “Any time you have a privilege, you have an obligation, period.” McGrath in 2026: Silent on a fair contract for ProPublica’s workers.
We're in our third year of fighting for a fair contract. After we held a one-day walkout in April, ProPublica's Board Chairman Paul Sagan said management has "the Board's full and undivided support." Picture of Paul Sagan, smiling. But is that true? We think board members should speak for themselves...
Seven people stand in front of a building holding up flyers and smiling. They are wearing shirts with a logo that says "ProPublica Guild".
Text says "We’re fighting for a fair disciplinary process, layoff protections and AI guardrails. Tell ProPublica Board Chair Paul Sagan to direct management to agree to a fair contract now." There is an arrow pointing from the text to a picture of a middle-age man with glasses and brown hair.
Three women in business casual clothes stand in front of a building holding flyers.
A 20-second edited video of ProPublica workers chanting "fair contract now" and shaking noisemakers in an open office.