New Hampshire journalist explains why he’s pulling his byline in protest

by David Silverberg

The Friday copy of the New Hampshire Union Leader looked a bit different to regular readers: on the front page, instead of a reporter’s bylines, on five stories it read under the headline “Staff report.” As one participating reporter explains, this isn’t a typo but an action to “demonstrate the Manchester Newspaper Guild’s unity during long and difficult contract bargaining with Union Leader management,” as Chad Graff explains.

Graff, a regular reporter for the Union Leader, is among the many journalists at the paper pulling their byline in solidarity. He says on his blog “key leaders of the management bargaining team have demonstrated a general unappreciation of their staff, which has been reflected in their words and their contract proposals.”

He goes on to say, “This negotiation has gone on for far too long and management has been unreasonable throughout.”

At issue is the proposed decision to not allow part-time staff to work more than 40 hours a week. There is also a 10 percent pay cut proposal on the board. In addition, the company wants to to eliminate pro-rated vision care for part-timers.