Fort Worth NewsGuild social justice reporter's thread about journos ON STRIKE accidentally HILARIOUS

So it sounds like a group of journalists at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram have gone on strike because the owners refuse to bargain in good faith.

Ha.

HA ha.

Typically, when a worker goes on strike, their job and the product or service they provide is something that seems invaluable. Necessary. Like teachers holding education hostage, rail workers holding the country hostage … etc.

Striking journalists are just, well, funny. Guess what happens if they don’t show up and write? NOTHING.

Look at this from ‘social justice reporter’ Kaley Johnson:

Fort Worth NewsGuild press release about our strike:
"Under existing working conditions, we cannot plan for a future in Fort Worth."
Want to show support?
— Donate to the strike fund at https://t.co/ZPx5DCP8tj
— Send a letter to management https://t.co/jl9nf1nQQd pic.twitter.com/eFiVQ9ut5G

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 28, 2022

Under existing working conditions.

What, are they forcing them to come into the office or something? No heat?

Heh.

Keep going.

Looks like we have all been locked out of our work emails and our work laptops are no longer working.

Legal, expected – but still petty.

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 28, 2022

Petty.

No, what’s petty is a bunch of self-important journalists thinking they’re so important that striking would matter.

We all set our work emails to send “out of office” notices to those trying to get in touch with us during the strike.

Looks like @startelegram manually changed our auto-replies. This is not okay – the community deserves to know why we are forced out of work this week. pic.twitter.com/AcSe1G3Rdq

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 28, 2022

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

No, it is ok.

Those emails belong to the newspaper.

Letter from a subscriber to our editor, @SteveCoffman1. If @mcclatchy won’t listen to us, maybe they’ll listen to our readers.
“It's time for McClatchy to come to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith with the Guild.”
(Shared with permission) pic.twitter.com/5vbq7ZFyqa

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 28, 2022

Narrator: Nope, they didn’t listen to the one reader who wrote them a letter.

UPDATE:

Star-Telegram staff on strike has just been notified that the company is revoking our health care and other benefits effective Nov 30. We will not be able to get these benefits back until January at the earliest.

This is a choice on the company’s part. A shitty one. pic.twitter.com/331bFL6HFv

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 28, 2022

Ruh-roh.

But wait … there’s more!

The company does not have to revoke benefits, and other media companies have not done so in recent strikes. But @mcclatchy has chosen to.

This is simply retaliation and heartlessness against a group of underpaid journalists who want to protect local news.

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 28, 2022

Retaliation?! Heartless? SAY IT AIN’T SO.

Our editor in chief is also posting our jobs locally “to prioritize our readers and their needs.”

What readers need is dedicated local journalists with fair working conditions. Not union busting hedge funds pulling the strings. pic.twitter.com/6GN5jZLzhD

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 28, 2022

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HOO BOY.

This is not going the way they thought it would.

We end the day disappointed, but not surprised, by @mcclatchys choice to focus on union busting rather than fair bargaining.

Our fire is not dimmed in the slightest – attacks against us only fuel our cause. pic.twitter.com/IR1DHj2baE

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 29, 2022

Right.

Keep telling yourselves that.

DAY 2 of Fort Worth NewsGuild strike:

Yesterday, within hours of our strike announcement, the company took away our healthcare, posted our jobs online and locked us out of our accounts.

Safe to say I think they’re scared.

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 29, 2022

Nope, they don’t seem scared. But whatever she needs to tell herself.

The company posted our jobs, saying “We have plans in place to ensure that our readers can continue to count on us.”
All our readers can count on is subpar content for as long as @mcclatchy refuses to bargain with us.
Dedicated local journalists are not so easily replaceable.

— Kaley Johnson☀️ (@KaleyAJohnson) November 29, 2022

Yes, yes they are.

Clearly.

We’ll keep an eye on this strike and let you know how it goes BUT we’re pretty sure they’ll just replace these journalists and move on. Too bad, so sad.