The Desert Sun NewsGuild Strike Fund

My name is Veronica Serrano and I was an editorial assistant at the Austin American-Statesman, and bargaining committee chair for the Austin NewsGuild until April 2023.

I started this GoFundMe to raise funds for my former colleagues at The Desert Sun, the only daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley in California.

Despite living in ever pricier Southern California, a majority of Desert Sun journalists earn less than $52,000 a year and have gone years without any pay raise.

Yet after nearly three years of bargaining, The Desert Sun’s corporate owner, Gannett, is still pushing a contract that would see Desert Sun journalists continue to go years without raises, while forfeiting basic benefits like their 401k match and paying even more for healthcare.

The Desert Sun’s journalists work tirelessly to keep the entire Coachella Valley informed about everything from the latest city council vote to that new development planned for down the street to the latest triumphs of our valley prep athletes.

But as its staff’s wages continue to fall further behind the valley’s rapidly rising cost of living, The Desert Sun needs a fair contract to ensure it can continue hiring and retaining the type of talented journalists that have been telling the desert what it needs to know for nearly 100 years.

With rising costs ensuring that Desert Sun journalists’ stagnating salaries amount to less and less each month, these journalists can’t afford to wait any longer for Gannett to get serious. That’s why they are now making plans to go on strike soon unless Gannett comes to the table and agrees to a contract that guarantees regular raises and a sustainable future for news in the Coachella Valley.

This fight for a fair contract has included multiple work stoppages which funds generously contributed to this GoFundMe have supported. But this time, Desert Sun journalists are planning to stay on strike until a reasonable agreement is reached.

New donations will be used to make up for wages lost during the strike and help pay for workers’ housing, utilities, groceries and other essentials during it. If Gannett does the right thing and a strike is avoided, funds will be reserved for future Desert Sun union actions. Thank you for your support.