1/ Hi y'all! 🤠
Here are ways you can support HL NewsGuild as we push for fair working conditions
@Hou_Landing
:
➡️Retweet our posts!
➡️Follow our Instagram page (
@HTXLandingUnion
)!
➡️Follow our union members!
➡️Read our work!
➡️Donate to our strike fund!
1/ Today's a hard day for us at Houston Landing NewsGuild. We hoped to update y’all with good news, but that changed over the last 24 hours.
Yesterday, one of our members was suspended with pay.
New: As of this morning, the Houston Landing NewsGuild has been voluntarily recognized!
This moment is a reflection of the strong support among staffers for the protections that come with union membership. We are ready to begin bargaining for a fair contract as soon as possible.
12/ Yesterday’s events are a clear reminder of why we unionized.
We will continue to push for protections for our union members no matter what happens.
#Yallidarity
New: Today, the Houston Landing NewsGuild filed for an election with the NLRB. Let’s take a look at how we got here:
On Friday,
@Hou_Landing
CEO
@peterbhatia
declined to recognize our union, citing concerns about which positions at the Landing are union-eligible. (1/4)
The
@AustinNewsGuild
went on strike today.
The Houston Landing NewsGuild stands with our peers at the Austin American-Statesman as they continue to demand for a better contract.
You can help by not crossing the picket line or by donating to their Go Fund Me.
#Yallidarity
✊💜
Journalists at the
@Statesman
are on strike in protest of
@Gannett
’s unfair labor practices and bad-faith bargaining. Please support us by sharing our strike fund, joining us at noon at the South Congress Bridge and not crossing the digital picket line.
7/ Yesterday, Trombly met with management to discuss the photo. When he asked what policy he violated, management struggled to name a specific clause.
No disciplinary action should have been given without clear cause or justification.
8/ Our new editor-in-chief, Manny Garcia, said the photo is problematic because it could harm his ability to cover or build trust with survivors of mass shootings.
Nothing in our employee handbook covers that concern, and Trombly espoused no personal views in the post.
10/ Some of our members no longer feel comfortable with the company account following their personal social media accounts.
This is just one more painful moment in the short history of the Landing. In January, we lost our founding editor-in-chief and sole investigative reporter.
When our management suspended
@MonroeTrombly
this week, they violated a fair labor practice called “status quo.”
This strike fund will help us prepare to take further action, if necessary, to support our members.
If you can, please consider donating:
4/ The photo was taken Oct. 14, 2023 at an FBI Citizens Academy class, held at the Conroe Police Training Academy, where FBI agents regularly train.
Trombly covers the FBI's Houston field office as part of his beat. He told his direct supervisor of his plan to attend.
6/ Shortly after the range day, the photo was shared in a Houston Landing Slack channel that included our HR director, all editors and former EIC.
No concern was raised at the time.
3/ On April 29, public safety reporter Monroe Trombly posted a photo collage, with the caption “one year in Houston.”
One of the photos is of Trombly holding an automatic rifle next to a target at a gun range – a legal, safe context for gun use. He is wearing a Landing shirt.
11/ We joined other Texas unionized newsrooms earlier this year to protect our members from disciplinary actions without cause. Trombly was informed that his post is under investigation.
Management will “communicate a final decision” to him and our union by the end of next week.
2/ Management claims a post our member made on his private Instagram account violates company social media policy, but they struggled to articulate exactly how.
9/ Houston Landing NewsGuild members do not endorse violence of any kind.
Some members have covered mass shootings as journalists, and they have done so with care.
5/ He attended the Citizens Academy to network and build relationships with sources.
Trombly was not the only Houston-area journalist who participated in the class. He also attended the FBI’s “range day” to learn more about gun safety.
Since launching last June,
@Hou_Landing
reporters, photojournalists, audience engagement producers, web designers, and revenue and events team members have worked together to create mission-driven and community-centered journalism.
As policies change and the Landing grows, we would like a continued seat at the table with company leadership. That is why 75% of eligible staffers have already supported the forming of our union.
We remain steadfast in our fight for recognition and in our belief that union representation for all employees will only make the Landing that much stronger. (4/4)
#Yallidarity
1/ Today we are celebrating
@MonroeTrombly
’s one year anniversary
@Hou_Landing
as his paid suspension continues.
One thing can be said about Trombly: he has really brought the Landing’s mission to life with his stories.
The Guild informed Peter and our board on Wednesday evening of our intent to attend.
We received no response to our email. Instead, we were stopped by a security guard at the door, all while two members of our company’s leadership team watched silently. (3/4)
As we continue to push for transparency and a seat at the table, the HLNG is seeking a fair, national search for
@Hou_Landing
’s next Editor in Chief.
Today, we ask
@peterbhatia
to finally post the EIC job description online & take the time to vet a national applicant pool.
Our members walked out for lunch today to advocate for voluntary recognition — something
@peterbhatia
has not given us.
We are heading toward an election (which we are confident we will win), but that can be avoided if
@Hou_Landing
leadership chooses voluntary recognition!
This decision came after a group of guild members were denied entry to our board of directors’ quarterly meeting on Thursday morning.
We had hoped to introduce ourselves & answer any questions board members might have, but unfortunately we were not allowed to do so. (2/4)
Happy Go Texan Day! 🤠
More than half our union members moved across the country to join
@Hou_Landing
b/c we believe in its mission to advance democracy through journalism.
In order to live out that mission, we believe every employee deserves a seat at the table.
1/ We are raising money to support our fight against unfair labor practices at Houston Landing.
Our strike fund will allow members to fight back against management’s unfair practices without losing wages.
Please consider donating.
Here’s why ⬇️🧵
Beginning today, we’re highlighting some of our union members’ voices!
Take a look at why
@mack_oxenden
, Harris County reporter at the Landing, joined the Houston Landing News Guild:
We stand in solidarity with the Texas Tribune Guild.
Transparency is a big part of creating a safe and fair working environment. Allowing all members to join bargaining sessions shouldn’t be an issue.
💜
🚨 Lack of Transparency Alert at
@TexasTribune
🚨 As we approach negotiations, we're pushing to let all our members join bargaining sessions.
Why does the Tribune not want their workers to observe bargaining? 🤔
#OpenBargaining
#FairWork
1/x
It has been eight weeks since we were left without an EIC.
In that time, staffers have only interviewed one potential candidate, handpicked by our CEO, to fill the role.
Our employees, our readers and our city deserve better.
Breaking news: The journalists of the San Antonio
@ExpressNews
and
@MySA
are unionizing.
For over 150 years, Express-News and MySA have kept the Alamo City informed, and in order to continue our important work, we're forming the San Antonio NewsGuild.
It’s great to see
@TMPGuild
join the nonprofit newsroom unionization wave!
We’re glad
@MarshallProj
leadership has taken the right step & agreed to voluntarily recognize your unit.
@peterbhatia
, why not join the ranks of other nonprofit newsroom leaders and do the same here?
🚨Exciting news from
@MarshallProj
Our nonprofit newsroom is unionizing! We have united to form Marshall Project Guild, part of Together, we're committed to preserving the best of our newsroom and securing a future for our staff, work, and readership.
1/ Hi y’all! I’m once again asking you to consider donating to our strike fund. 💜 🪧 ❤️🪧
This thread will help you learn more about some members, their reasons for joining the Landing NewsGuild, and why you should consider donating. ⬇️
Staffers began organizing in January after the sudden firing of the outlet’s editor-in-chief and sole investigative reporter.
Our effort centered around upholding
@Hou_Landing
's mission in the face of uncertainty & providing employees with protections against arbitrary firing.
At the insistence of management, our unit does not currently include audience and development employees of the Houston Landing.
The Houston Landing NewsGuild will continue to serve as a voice for good working conditions for all employees.
Read our full press release below:
4/ We deserve to work without fear of senseless discipline or termination at the whim of management that has been unwilling to treat us fairly.
If we must take further action, the fund will allow members to fight back without losing wages. Anything helps.
The HLNG is concerned company leadership is attempting to chill union activity, which is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act and an unfair labor practice.
10/ If you made it this far, it means you care about Houston. We do, too. 💜
I hope these stories remind you why it’s important to protect our workers from unfair labor practices.
Please consider donating to our strike fund.
3/ The US Dept. of Educations will investigate Katy ISD to determine if its controversial gender identity policy discriminates against students,
@MirandaKDunlap
reports.
The complaint prompting the investigation cited Dunlap's reporting from November.
5/ Despite SB-17's passing, full-time UH students & alumni volunteers collectively sacrificed their time so roughly 26 student graduates who identify as LGBTQ+ could celebrate with a Lavender graduation,
@mo_unique_
reported.
9/ Houston ISD will cut more than 100 "wraparound resource specialists" at schools across the district. These specialists help families with accessing food, clothes, mental health services and more,
@small_asher
reported.
4/
@mack_oxenden
and
@timcarlin_
dove into why Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are long and struggle with transparency.
Meetings used to last about an hour but now average around 6 hours.
3/ This fund will give us the ability to escalate our fight against management’s unfair practices, if we must.
It will ensure workers are supported when they lose out on company pay to fight for a fair workplace.
11/ These are only a few stories that have made Trombly’s role at the Landing so important. We can’t wait to see what else he does here.
The Houston Landing NewsGuild is ready to have him back in the office with everyone.
Solidarity.
2/ Management violated a fair labor practice called “status quo” last week when they suspended
@MonroeTrombly
.
We’re also concerned about company leadership trying to disturb union activity – another violation of labor practices.
7/ When you read about Colony Ridge, it’s usually about political viewpoints from government officials. This story, however, is different.
Colony is the place where these business owners' dreams became a reality,
@byangelicaperez
and
@cadoyle_18
report.
5/ When the 83rd annual National Federation of the Blind convention came to Houston, Trombly took it upon himself to figure out if out-of-towners thought of Houston as an accessible city.
4/ Conservative media has called Colony Ridge a hotbed for cartel activity. But local officials say otherwise.
Data shows that the violent crime rate in areas patrolled by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office was lower last year than in other counties.
3/ Please take some time and read some of his impactful work today:
He is part of one of the Landing’s biggest projects to date: Colony Ridge. The investigation could not have been done without him.
6/ When a person of interest in a deputy shooting was being searched for, Trombly found his number and got him on the phone to move the story forward.
James Green gave Trombly a short interview and denied involvement.
7/ Trombly gathered the experiences of small business owners along Bissonnet Track – a stretch synonymous for decades with sex trafficking, prostitution and drug dealing.
1/ Today's a hard day for us at Houston Landing NewsGuild. We hoped to update y’all with good news, but that changed over the last 24 hours.
Yesterday, one of our members was suspended with pay.
2/ Despite recent events, our union members have produced impactful stories as we fight for fair working conditions.
Please take some time today to read our stories and consider donating to our strike fund to allow us to continue doing this work. ⬇️
9/ Most recently, Trombly has been on top of the sexual assault suspended cases scandal at HPD.
More than 260,000 cases, roughly 4,000 sexual assault cases, have been suspended due to a lack of personnel.