Workers at P.E.I.'s Guardian, Journal Pioneer newspapers enter first union contract

Workers at two Prince Edward Island newspapers have entered their first union contract after three years of organizing. 

It marks the first union agreement negotiated with newsroom staff at either The Guardian or Journal Pioneer in their more than 100-year history. 

"Hopefully this shows what is actually possible in P.E.I.," said Logan MacLean, a multimedia journalist with The Guardian who helped negotiate the agreement. 

"This seemed like something that might not be possible. It proved to be."

Newsroom staff at the two newspapers started meeting in February 2023. Pushback from SaltWire, the former owner of the publications, followed by the company entering creditor protection and ultimately a buyout by Postmedia caused "delay after delay," MacLean said. 

The contract reached the bargaining stage last November, with the agreement coming into effect on Jan. 18. It covers about a dozen staff across the province. 

"The feedback we've gotten has been pretty strong and positive," MacLean said. "We've heard positive things from people that were just stressed beyond the max … a lot of it being money stuff." 

LISTEN | The Guardian and Journal Pioneer union contract:

Island Morning8:48The Guardian and the Journal Pioneer union contract

The Guardian and the Journal Pioneer staff have entered their first union contract after three years of organizing. We speak to two journalists who helped bargain for the agreement.

Wages and cost of living were concerns that first came up in the organizing phase, and were addressed in the contract, said Stu Neatby, a political reporter with The Guardian. 

The contract also includes assurances that no newsroom staff will be replaced by artificial intelligence, he said, adding that many of the issues are similar to labour concerns in other industries across the province. 

"You hear it from health-care workers, you hear it from [early childhood educators]. A lot of it was about wage parity. People doing the same work in other places in Atlantic Canada have tended to get paid better than what you find here on Prince Edward Island," Neatby said. 

"If you have wages on P.E.I. that are comparable to what you see in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, you're going to have people who stay longer. You're going to attract better staff. You're going to have people who feel like they can focus on doing the best job on serving the readership."

Neatby said both newspapers are still sustainable on P.E.I., and their subscriber base remains strong. 

"People read our stuff," he said. "We appreciate that.… It's a privilege."