Guardian Program, Miami Herald Journalists Unionize, Keeping Current Competition & LGBTQ Film Fest

I appreciate the opportunity to be heard on this issue – both personally, and on behalf of the Miami Herald.  As someone who has spent my life and career in the Miami Herald newsroom, I share concerns about the health of the local news industry. Upholding the strong journalistic traditions that have long been a hallmark of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald is a long-held commitment I continue to embrace.  Our collective success is both a responsibility and an obligation. As a threshold issue, we fully support our colleagues' right to choose on the question of unionization. We additionally believe that this is an important decision for the people in our newsroom and should be made on a fully informed basis.  We additionally believe that every employee’s voice matters and should be heard as part of this process. To date, our employees have only heard one side of the story, one that we believe is both incomplete and not fully accurate. We intend to correct those inaccuracies and balance the information available to our colleagues before they vote on this important issue. For example, there are stark differences between what a union can promise and what they can deliver. Voting to create a union does not guarantee job safety. Look at other unionized papers across the country and what has happened there over the past twenty years. Look at the auto industry, whose workers were overwhelmingly represented by the UAW. We need cooperation and communication to address the challenges the news industry is facing, not just promises. While there are certainly difficult macro trends that are affecting all local news organizations, we are committed to partnering with our employees directly in working through them. We don’t believe that introducing a third party intermediary helps our relationships, generates efficiency or allows us to adapt and innovate in response to these trends and market conditions. We also don’t think our employees need to pay significant dues to a third party (the union) to help address concerns that we can resolve directly with them. Finally, contrary to what the union is claiming, if elected the union will negotiate with the Miami Herald Media Company, not McClatchy, our parent company. I have worked side by side with many of these employees for years.  They are professionals, colleagues and friends. Any negotiations will take place between me and my negotiations team, not someone from corporate. This is all the more reason that I would prefer to work directly with them for the benefit of our newsroom – and don’t believe we need a union to do that. I look forward to constructive conversations and collaboration with our colleagues on this important issue.  In the meantime, we will continue to focus on our mission -- delivering essential local journalism to our neighbors and our community.