Fort Worth NewsGuild Strike Fund

Hi, my name is Veronica Serrano and I’m the Bargaining Committee Chair for the Austin NewsGuild.

I’m proud to have the opportunity to stand in solidarity with the workers of the Fort Worth NewsGuild by organizing their strike fund through GoFundMe. Their strike began on Nov. 28, 2022.

I’ve gotten to know Kaley Johnson and the Fort Worth NewsGuild as we organized our Texas newsrooms around the same time, following the footsteps of the Dallas News Guild.

Our three guilds, representing the employees of the Austin American-Statesman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Dallas Morning News, are fighting for our first union contracts. We previously teamed up in April, taking a one-hour break together in a show of solidarity - or Y’allidarity, as we like to call it.

Strikes are not very common in Texas, so I want to make it clear that these workers are not being paid.

I will work with Fort Worth NewsGuild’s leadership to transfer funds directly to their members.

Funds will be used so that these workers can continue to pay for their housing and utilities, buy groceries and medication, etc.

Why is the Fort Worth NewsGuild on strike?

In November 2020, the Fort Worth NewsGuild was recognized by McClatchy. Nearly two years later, its members continue to fight for a fair contract at the bargaining table.

The company has subjected the guild to stalling tactics, stonewalling and an unwillingness to compromise. As just one example, members of our newsroom have made below a liveable wage for decades — at least one member currently makes BELOW McClatchy’s own minimum salary floor of $45,000. Reporters who started at the Star-Telegram more than 20 years ago made that amount or higher. And yet, the company continues to come to the bargaining table with the same proposal of a $45,000 minimum salary.

The Fort Worth NewsGuild cares deeply about the community we live in and cover, and we know the best way to serve our community is to ensure present and future Star-Telegram staff have fair conditions.

This GoFundMe is meant to provide support for Fort Worth NewsGuild union members who are on strike and experiencing an interruption to their normal pay and benefits.

If funds are not needed, funds will be returned to donors.

*Funds from the Fort Worth Newsguild Strike Fund are collected independently from the Media Guild of the West NewsGuild.