The State and its journalists agree to create union

Newsroom employees of The State Media Co. have formed a union.

The McClatchy Co., which owns several local news organizations in the state, voluntarily recognized The State News Guild on Monday, making The State the largest newspaper in South Carolina to unionize.

In announcing the voluntary recognition, The State’s president and editor, Brian Tolley, said, “We value the work of our colleagues and their commitment to our shared mission of providing essential news and information to our communities. This pathway allows us to accelerate the process of starting negotiations.

“We look forward to working collaboratively with The State News Guild to advance this process and ensure a strong future for local journalism in South Carolina.”

The guild released its own statement, saying, “This is a great first step that shows McClatchy’s commitment to local journalism and the people who make it in South Carolina. We look forward to keeping up this mutual respect at the bargaining table.”

On social media, guild members have expressed an appreciation of working at The State and a desire “to protect what we have.” According to its website, the guild hopes to negotiate better pay, increased job security and more diversity on staff.

Last fall, newsroom employees in two other McClatchy-owned properties, The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette, agreed to organize.

McClatchy also owns The Sun News in Myrtle Beach and The Herald in Rock Hill.

This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 5:31 PM.