Houston Landing NewsGuild Strike Fund

Hi, my name is Maggie Prosser, and I’m the unit chair for the Dallas News Guild and a reporter at The Dallas Morning News.

I’m proud to stand in solidarity with the workers at the Houston Landing NewsGuild by organizing their strike fund. This GoFundMe will raise money to be dispersed to HLNG members in the event that they have to escalate their collective action in their fight for a fair workplace. 

A strike fund will ensure that workers have emergency funds when they voluntarily lose out on company pay to push back against unfair labor practices — like members experienced this week. 

Why set up a strike fund now?

The Houston Landing is a mission-driven nonprofit newsroom, completely free of paywalls. They’ve done incredible community-centered work since launching just under one year ago, in June 2023.

The workers there unionized this January after their CEO Peter Bhatia suddenly and arbitrarily fired their founding editor-in-chief and investigative reporter. HLNG’s organizing effort focused on ensuring all employees have fair protections against discipline and termination with due process and just cause.

HLNG members have worked incredibly hard to uphold the values their organization was founded on, though management has thrown them obstacles. 

This week, new Editor-in-chief Manny García and Director of People Susie Hermsen violated “status quo” union rules by issuing severe and arbitrary discipline to a bargaining unit member without informing or offering to bargain with the Guild.

The Guild is concerned that the employer is attempting to chill union activity, which is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act and an unfair labor practice.

This strike fund will ensure workers can fight unfair labor practices in their beloved workplace.

Please support them so they can continue serving Houstonians with essential journalism, one story at a time. 

*The Houston Landing NewsGuild reserves the right to return donations that present a conflict of interest. Funds in excess will be used for future actions.

*Funds from the Houston Landing NewsGuild Strike Fund are collected independently from the Media Guild of the West NewsGuild.