Orlando Sentinel journalists join newsroom-spanning strike in protest of 'vulture fund' owners, Alden Global Capital

Orlando Sentinel journalists, designers and production workers Thursday joined union members across seven newsrooms in a 24-hour strike against their parent company, hedge fund Alden Global Capital.

Nearly two dozen Sentinel workers, along with hundreds others at Tribune Publishing newsrooms across the country, staged a walkout in protest of the company’s refusal to deliver fair wages, threat to rescind its 401(k) match benefit, and failure to address racial and gender pay disparities.

The strike represents the largest collective action against the so-called "vulture capitalist" hedge fund Alden Global Capital since it purchased Tribune Publishing in 2021 — a deal that saddled Tribune with $278 million in debt. Tribune Publishing newspapers include The Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant, Virginian-Pilot, South Florida Sun Sentinel and Orlando Sentinel, all of which are represented by The NewsGuild-CWA.

Alden has long had a reputation for decimating newsrooms.  The company has been known for its heavy-handed measures in cutting costs and slashing jobs in newsrooms to increase returns for its stockholders.

But even before Alden’s purchase, Tribune Publishing had a history of underpaying workers. Many have not seen a pay raise since 2018, the Guild reports.

Thursday’s walkout at Gaston Edwards Park, staged by more than two dozen Orlando Sentinel Guild members, was aimed at addressing these disparities in pay, job security and staff retention. The Sentinel workers were joined by Unite Here Local 362 and Central Florida Jobs With Justice.
Mario Sarmento, union co-chair for the Orlando Sentinel Guild, has worked at the Sentinel for the past five years and the South Florida Sun Sentinel before that. His goal, he told Orlando Weekly, is a fair contract for workers.

"I hope they'll [Alden] stop messing around and actually negotiate with us in good faith, because the last couple times I was at the bargaining table, they did not do that," Sarmento said.

The Orlando Sentinel Guild was formed in February 2020 when the newsroom employed more than 50 reporters. Now, with the newsroom down to 32 people, the Guild is still negotiating nearly four years later.

Cristóbal Reyes, justice and safety reporter for Orlando Sentinel, said Thursday these losses were not all layoffs, though. Former Sentinel journalists have left due to inadequate pay and lack of parental leave, among other reasons.

"They've gone for better pay and better benefits elsewhere and took with them decades of knowledge of this community," Reyes said.

full-time Because of the staff losses, Reyes said, the newsroom lacks journalists to  cover beats like technology, the Orlando Police Department, the courts or local tourism full-time. El Sentinel, the paper's former Spanish affiliate, is also no longer around.

Amanda Rabines is a breaking news reporter for Orlando Sentinel and an Orlando Sentinel Guild member. Amid the fights for equity within Alden's grasp, she is largely concerned with the negative effects that unfair pay and poor staff retention may have on the journalism produced in and for the community.

When Rabines started with the Sentinel five years ago, the newsroom was larger, she told Orlando Weekly. Now, fewer staffers means less of the community gets covered.

“What we’re having to do now, with so little staff, is choose which stories are more important to cover,” she said. “It’s not fair to community members who make Central Florida the great place it is to live in and not have a robust newsroom. We think it’s an essential part of democracy.”

In the past year, Rabines’ originally designated area of coverage, Orlando and Florida corrections, has been skewed due to the lack of journalists at the Sentinel. She’s had to turn down important stories, she said.

“The reality is wages have been stagnant for so long that with cost of living increasing so fast here in Orlando and the surrounding counties, it’s hard for us to afford to live in the areas we cover.”

Rabines hopes Thursday’s demonstration brings awareness to the obstacles her newsroom — and journalists everywhere — face today and what stands in the way of essential stories yet to be told.
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