Who we are
Our team of 21 producers collectively manages 37 websites across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. We’re passionate about local news and that means both promoting our journalists’ work and making sure the region’s millions of residents are up-to-date on what’s happening in their communities.
This is what unionizing as the Atlantic DOT Guild means to us.
“Having a collective voice in the Atlantic DOT Guild means we producers can advocate for the support we need to continue ensuring trusted local news reaches the people it most affects. With the advent of the DOT structure producers have been left to make sense of ever-changing work requirements on our own. We've received conflicting communication from management, operate without standardized workflows and lack agency when interacting with newsrooms, despite repeated requests to higher-ups for help. Unionizing empowers us to stand up for our own interests instead of our pleas for much-needed support, commensurate pay and job stability falling on deaf ears.”
— Jessica Limonchi
“We, the members of the Atlantic DOT Guild, are proud to join the wave of unionization among newsrooms across the country. The formation of the Atlantic DOT Guild allows digital producers a seat at the table to discuss matters that affect us in and out of the newsroom. Local journalism is vital to the communities it serves and our union will allow us the opportunity to elevate its methods of distribution to better reach readers. Additionally, the Atlantic DOT Guild will advocate for the working conditions of digital journalists who join the Gannett ranks in the future.”
— Jai-Leen James
“Since the creation of the new digital optimization teams in 2020, many of us producers have taken on more responsibilities without the proper pay to reflect all that we do. Forming the Atlantic DOT Guild allows my colleagues and myself to collectively negotiate for fair wages as well as advocate for clear and fair policies to better our workplace. I’m proud to be a part of a union that will help protect our digital team at Gannett while we continue to produce quality work for our local communities.”
— Lanette Espy
“For many of us, organizing as the Atlantic DOT Guild is about dignity, in one way or another. For me personally, it’s not just to fight for fair pay in relation to the ever-growing list of responsibilities falling on the shoulders of an increasingly weary production team; it’s also about advocating for the work we do and to underscore just how valuable it is. This plane doesn’t fly, so to speak, without producers, and yet we have very little agency as to what that flight path looks like. We’re overworked and yes, underpaid, and that comes at the ultimate expense of a worse experience for our readers. I’m immensely proud to be a part of the Atlantic DOT Guild as we continue to push for not just our dignity, but for producers and all employees Gannett-wide.”
— Jack McLoone
“I've worked in journalism for 14 years. The amount of layoffs, furloughs, wage cuts, benefit cuts, wage freezes, hiring freezes, resource reductions and forced reapplications for positions I've seen of hardworking journalists who care about their communities has been heartbreaking and numbing. Doing more with less is not a sustainable strategy. We are forming a union to help create a more sustainable and secure future for ourselves, our readers and our important profession.”
— Maria Birnell
“Producers were thrown into new roles on the Atlantic DOT (and forced out of newsrooms) right before the holidays and amid the pandemic — after mandatory furloughs. Eight months later, we're still not fully trained in our roles and our workload has doubled, if not tripled. I love how our union brought us together as a team, as we realized we share the same struggles. We've communicated better together and have built a rapport with each other that the company couldn't facilitate. I joined the union so Gannett must pause before it tries to rip yet another thing away from us and our communities.”
— Sharon Rhodes
“Since Gannett forced me and my fellow producers to re-apply for our jobs (and also try to cut our salaries before some of us complained), all I have seen is all of our workloads greatly increase, in my case more than double, with no extra compensation or benefits, and no real hope of ever getting a meaningful raise. I can only see the job’s conditions get worse over time, which is why I strongly believe we needed to form a union to protect ourselves and at least get a voice to the table.”
— Adrian Szkolar
“I love what I do. I have enjoyed my role with the Atlantic DOT since joining the team in April. But after being forced to reapply for my job with a new team, ending my time with the West DOT after almost 3 meaningful years, I have only seen my workload double, if not triple and it comes at a time where I myself am voluntarily working harder and taking on extra projects to prove myself and move up because I care and have a passion for my job, specifically SEO and the power we have to help quality journalism reach the largest audience possible. But all of this has come without any extra compensation and seemingly, no real shot of getting a raise. I didn’t get into journalism for the money, but I would like to support a family of my own one day. Joining our union will help us producers protect ourselves and give us a seat at the table, while at the same time protecting the integrity and quality of journalism.”