For immediate release Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Salt Lake Tribune newsroom ratifies first labor contract in unanimous vote

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake Tribune’s newsroom workers unanimously ratified the Salt Lake News Guild’s inaugural labor contract Monday — a first in the 155-year history of Utah’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, flagship newspaper.

The vote was open to every member of The Tribune’s bargaining unit, which also includes staff at The Tribune-owned Moab Times-Independent and The Southern Utah Tribune. By the time voting closed Sunday afternoon, 93% had participated. Each member voted in favor of the two-year agreement, which includes provisions that guarantee increased pay and benefits and bar management from disciplining employees over content engagement metrics, like page views.

“We are grateful to all employees of The Salt Lake Tribune for the dedication they bring to our journalism every day. The bargaining process was respectful and thoughtful, and now we look forward to diving in on critical work together, ahead of The Tribune removing its paywall in 2026,” Tribune management and the Guild said in a joint statement.

The members of the Guild’s bargaining committee (Bethany Baker, Jeff Dempsey, Paighten Harkins, Andy Larsen and Trent Nelson) met with Tribune CEO Lauren Gustus on Monday morning at The Tribune offices to sign the contract, surrounded by Tribune staffers. Negotiations began in February.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have come to an agreement on a contract with Tribune management,” said Andy Larsen, a member of the Guild’s Bargaining Committee. “We believe this contract adds significantly to the long-term strength and stability of The Tribune and for the workers who make independent news in Utah possible.”

“When Tribune workers voted to unionize more than a year ago, we said we wanted to ensure a supportive workplace, where talent is nurtured and cultivated and staff is paid enough so that our chief concern is how to best cover Utah — not how to afford to live here,” Bargaining Committee member Paighten Harkins said. “We rejected discipline over page views, and we wanted a seat at the board table where decisions are made. With this contract, we got all that and more.”

Key contract provisions:

• A standard salary floor of $60,000 for new hires of The Tribune and $54,000 for The Times-Independent, as well as higher salary floors for experienced staff based on tenure at the paper; 

• Across the board annual cost of living raises and merit-based raises, with the opportunity for up to 5% total in annual raises if all goals are met;

• Revenue share with employees if The Tribune beats annual financial targets;

• Guaranteed protections against unjust discipline and severance pay in the event of layoffs, with extra protections if someone loses their job to AI;

• Restrictions against disciplining or terminating employees based on page view quotas;

• Increased employer contributions to employee retirement plans and more parental leave, personal days and vacation;

• Guarantees that staff will be included in developing new artificial intelligence and social media policies, as well as in selecting health insurance policies; 

• A seat for a Guild representative to attend Tribune Board of Directors meetings  

“These provisions agreed to in the contract set in stone common-sense, valuable employment protections for our staff. They will improve our employees’ working conditions and their quality of life,” Larsen said. “Their focus can be on the important work: producing independent journalism for Utah at the highest level.”

The Salt Lake New Guild formed in July 2024, when over 70% of The Tribune’s eligible employees sent a letter to management, notifying them of the staff’s desire to unionize. Management and The Tribune’s board of directors gave voluntary recognition to the union days later. 

Over the last 16 months, Guild representatives and The Tribune’s management spent long hours and early mornings negotiating this first contract, which will be in effect for two years.

“Negotiations are never easy — but we want to thank Tribune management for working in good faith at the bargaining table with us. These negotiations never fell to impasse or disarray thanks to a commitment to fair discussion and give-and-take from both sides,” Larsen said. 

In 2019, The Tribune became the first legacy publication in the country to transition to a nonprofit, public service business model. Since then, the paper has expanded its reach, providing local coverage in Logan, Moab, St. George and the surrounding communities.