Nearly 50 years after a strike that ended union representation at the Madison Capital Times, the newspaper’s eight newsroom employees announced last week they have joined a  union and are seeking a contract.

Ashley Rodriguez, a features writer and spokesperson for the union drive, said in an interview that the staffers have asked Publisher and President Paul Fanlund, Editor Mark Treinen and other newsroom managers to voluntarily recognize The NewsGuild-CWA as their union.

“We were received very professionally and cordially,” Rodriguez said.

Asked Tuesday about his response to the union petition, Fanlund said in an email message, “No comment at this time. Will let you know when we have something to say.”

Rodriguez said the union organizing campaign wasn’t in reaction to any particular developments at the newspaper.

“This isn’t about one thing, this isn’t about one person. This is about exercising our rights and knowing that we’re stronger together,” she said.

Since its conversion in 2008 from a daily evening paper to a digital outlet with a weekly free tabloid edition, the Capital Times now has formally adopted its longstanding nickname, the Cap Times.

Rodriguez said the union effort was in keeping with the news organization’s heritage as a champion of progressive values in Madison since the Capital Times was founded in 1917 by William T. Evjue, a former managing editor and business manager for the Wisconsin State Journal.

“He was angered by the State Journal’s editorials attacking Robert M. ‘Fighting Bob’ LaFollette, who he considered a hero,” states a history the Capital Times posted that was archived in 2007.

“The history of the Cap Times is to be a progressive voice — the voice of Madison, representing the voices of people who aren’t heard,” said Rodriguez. On its editorial pages, the paper has been a strong supporter of labor unions.

“I think this has been like a desire to embody how we see our role as reporters within our own system,” she said. “If we’re going to embody the mission of William Evjue, championing people’s rights and being the voice of the community, that has to exist internally as well.”

Rodriguez joined the staff in January 2025, but she said reporters had been interested in joining a union for years before she arrived, and helped produce the energy that led her and her colleagues to formally organize in the last year. Staff support for the union has been unanimous, she said.

“For us just the biggest thing is that local journalism is so vital to a healthy democracy and strong communities and the reporters that deliver that news just want to live in their communities and feel like their work is being valued as well,” Rodriguez said.

Since the 1940s, the Capital Times and the Wisconsin State Journal have shared business operations, forming a partnership, Madison Newspapers Inc., which owned the presses and conducted other business operations for both papers.

In 1977, MNI installed new printing technology, laying off typesetting employees and cutting wages of the remaining printing staff. The printing unions struck, joined by the newsroom unions of both newspapers.

The striking employees put out an independent paper, first weekly and later daily, the Madison Press Connection, which lasted until 1980, and the strike was settled in 1982 with a $1.5 million payment to the strikers. The unions were all decertified.

Editorially, the Capital Times “had always supported the labor movement,” said Phil Haslanger, one of the reporters who joined the strike. Up to that point, when the Newspaper Guild represented newsroom employees, “there had always been spirited negotiations between the Guild and, at that time, William Evjue, but they found a way to make it work.”

That made the dispute especially controversial. “Here you had a paper that was progressive, liberal, involved in this very complicated labor situation,” Haslanger said.

Haslanger was one of five employees who went back to the paper as part of the settlement agreement. Under the editor, Elliott Maraniss, “There was a real effort on the part of the Cap Times at the end of the strike to gracefully reintegrate those of us who had been in the strike,” he said.

In 2008, the Capital Times went from being a daily evening paper to a primarily online outlet, first with two free weekly tabloid editions, later reduced to one.

The union campaign also echoes the success of campaigns that have led to unions at several digital news organizations, including Wisconsin Watch and ProPublica. 

Both the Cap Times and the State Journal work out of the same building on Madison’s Southwest Side. Rodriguez said the unionizing effort involves only the staff of the Cap Times, owned by the Evjue Foundation, and not the employees of the State Journal, which is part of Lee Enterprises.

“We hope that management voluntarily recognizes us,” she said. “We think that recognizing the union would be in line with carrying out the values of the Cap Times.”

A second major school bus driver strike nearly occurred in a span of a few weeks, before a local union and the nation’s second largest school district agreed to a tentative deal to provide employees with a large wage increase and protections against subcontracting.

School bus drivers also are assured of an eight-hour day as a permanent part of the labor contract.

LAUSD school bus drivers walked off the job for three days in 2023 in protest of what Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 deemed unfair practices. The union and school district entered new negotiations in April 2024. On Dec. 16 of last year, SEIU Local 99’s bargaining team declared an impasse. The California Public Employment Relations Board was brought in to help reach an agreement. In February, SEIU said an 97 percent of union members voted to authorize a strike, again citing unfair practices.

SEIU Local 99 represents 50,000 workers including school bus drivers and special educational assistants at LAUSD, as well as six other local school districts and several charter schools. Its bargaining team issued a deadline of Tuesday morning for a deal to be reached. SEIU and the teacher’s union had threatened school closures if a deal was not reached. LAUSD confirmed classes were held Tuesday as normal.

The union said in a statement that LAUSD agreed on a 24-percent wage increase over three years including a 12-percent increase in retroactive pay. Unit C workers, classified as transportation, facilities and food service staff, won an increase in uniform and footwear allowances.

Politicians Urged School District to Avoid Strike

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously March 27 to urge LAUSD to return to the bargaining table and avert a strike after the school district reached agreements with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) representing principals. UTLA and AALA had vowed to support SEU Local 99 by joining classified employees on the picket line, effectively shutting down school. Dozens of Democratic members of the California Legislature backed the union in a letter last week to LAUSD.

Related: Labor Deal Averts Potential School Bus Strike, Easing Concerns for Parents
Related: School Bus Strike in Connecticut Ends
Related: Washington School Bus Drivers Authorize Strike

The post Strike Averted as School Bus Drivers, Los Angeles Reach Tentative Deal appeared first on School Transportation News.

Massachusetts parents are among those nationwide breathing easier after First Student and the Teamsters reached a tentative agreement, averting a nationwide school bus driver strike.

The labor deal was announced Tuesday ahead of a contract deadline and after two days of bargaining meetings.

Last week, union members voted to authorize a strike if negotiations completely broke down. The Teamsters represents more than 17,000 First Student school bus drivers nationwide, including those serving multiple districts in Massachusetts.

Union leaders said the agreement came after workers signaled they were prepared to walk off the job if necessary. The hang up had been benefits and time off. The tentative agreement is providing sronger retirement benefits, improved access to health care benefits, and robust contractual protections for all members, according to the Teamsters.

“First Student Teamsters were unified and prepared to take on this company nationwide,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “Our solidarity forced real movement at the bargaining table, and we delivered a contract in the 11th hour that honors the critical work our members do every day.”

According to the union, the tentative labor deal establishes a national framework for wages and benefits, including stronger retirement plans, improved access to health care and enhanced contractual protections. Local unions will continue negotiating additional terms, and members are expected to vote on the agreement in the coming weeks.

“This tentative agreement is the direct result of members standing shoulder to shoulder and refusing to settle for less,” said Matt Taibi, director of the Teamsters Passenger Transportation Division. “Workers showed the company they were prepared to strike if necessary, and that solidarity made the difference at the bargaining table.”

First Student confirmed the agreement in a statement to STN, calling it “a tentative agreement on a new, fair National Master First Student Agreement.” The company said the proposal will now move through the union’s ratification process with the bargaining team’s full support.

“There has been no disruption to service, and we will continue to operate as normal,” a company spokesperson said. “We appreciate the professionalism and engagement of everyone involved in reaching this milestone.”

The agreement eases concerns for families who rely on school bus service. In Massachusetts, parents had expressed concern that a strike would create significant challenges for working households with limited transportation options.

Labor Deal Avoids Parental, School Disruptions

First Student provides transportation services for several school districts across the state, among the hundreds in 40 other states. Many communities depend heavily on the company’s drivers to maintain daily school bus and classroom operations. A disruption in service could have forced families to make last-minute arrangements or keep students at home.

School officials had also warned through local news reports that even the threat of a strike added strain to an already tight transportation system. In Wayland, Superintendent David Fleishman pointed to an ongoing shortage of drivers.

“It’s challenging when there is not a strike,” Fleishman said. “We are hopeful this will be settled since kids need to be in school and school needs to be open.”

Transportation shortages have affected some districts in recent years, with fewer drivers available to cover routes. Officials said a strike would have further complicated efforts to ensure students arrive safely and on time.

Related: School Bus Strike in Connecticut Ends
Related: Iowa Bus Driver Fighting for Improved Wages, Benefits
Related: Massachusetts School Bus Contractor Sued After Driver Accused of Striking Pedestrians
Related: Massachusetts Governor Calls in National Guard Troops as School Bus Drivers

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