Nonprofit news site San Antonio Report voluntarily recognizes its employee union

The San Antonio Report has voluntarily recognized its employee union, workers and management at the nonprofit news organization confirmed Friday.

The San Antonio Report Union’s 15 members met with management Thursday in what staffers described as an open and productive dialogue. During the discussion, management recognized the union, while staffers said they’ll continue to demand the reinstatement of Audience Editor Sandra Santos, who was laid off Wednesday in a budget cut.

The San Antonio Report’s staff staged a day-long walkout over Santos’ termination. Workers also filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the nonprofit of illegally eliminating the position during an organizing push — a claim management denied.

San Antonio Report Union representatives said they’re moving ahead with the NLRB complaint. Even so, they remain hopeful about Thursday’s talks.

“We felt like the meeting we had yesterday was a very honest dialogue, and we’re both excited to get to the bargaining table,” photojournalist Bria Woods said.

San Antonio Report Publisher and CEO Angie Mock echoed the sentiments in emailed statement.

“We look forward to working together to ensure that the Report is a valuable news source for generations to come,” she said.

San Antonio Report workers announced plans to unionize in a Wednesday, Jan. 17, tweet. They gave management until the following day to recognize their organization, but Mock subsequently told the Current they didn’t give her enough time to discuss the matter with the nonprofit’s board.

Senior Reporter and union member Iris Dimmick said both sides are committed to long-term improvements at the 12-year-old news organization. Among other things, staffers are pushing for better pay equity, improved transparency, more refined human resources processes and a strengthened commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“At the end of the day, the union, the staff and management want to come out of this a stronger newsroom,” Dimmick said.

The organizing push comes as other newsrooms, including those of both the nonprofit Texas Tribune and the for-profit Los Angeles Times,  weather recent layoffs and budget cuts. Staffers at the Tribune on Wednesday announced their own plans to unionize.

San Antonio Report and Tribune employees originally planned to publicize their organizing efforts simultaneously, according to Woods. However, the San Antonio Report staff pushed up its announcement date in anticipation of looming cuts.

“We were in communication with the Texas Tribune newsroom, and we celebrated with them when they went live,” Woods said. “We stand in solidarity with each other.”

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This article appears in Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2024.