Employees at The South Bend Tribune joined two dozen other newspapers across the country Monday to strike against news publisher, Gannett. Chants and signs held by the workers drew attention to Gannett's lack of investment in the South Bend property.
The picketing started in front of the Saint Joseph County Courthouse on Main Street before marching to the Tribune Office on Lafayette Boulevard.
Andy Grimm is the President of the Chicago News Guild who was on hand to support its members. He says the newspaper industry is facing hard times. However, Gannett isn’t doing itself any favors cutting the staff to a third of its size in the last three years.
"I have seen papers the size of the South Bend Tribune, just decimated. The industry is struggling. It does not help when the corporate ownership doesn't value the product," Grimm said. "In the long term, Gannett's hurting itself by pruning the newsroom down to nothing."
Grimm says the journalists deserve a contract with fair compensation-they haven’t had a raise in ten years. The Tribune was previously owned by Schurz Communications before it was sold to Gatehouse, which merged with Gannett in 2019.
Gannett owns more than 200 papers including The South Bend Tribune and the IndyStar making it the largest newspaper company in the United States.
(The South Bend Tribune is one of WVPE's underwriters)
