The Guild was founded by working journalists in the summer of 1933 at the Cleveland Press. They called
their fledgling union the Cleveland Editorial Employees Association. It was the first newspaper union in the United States. As demand for union representation swelled across the country, a founding convention was held December 13, 1933, in Washington D.C. where the new national organization was named the American Newspaper Guild.

Local One (Cleveland) received its charter in 1934, and Local Seven (Akron) soon followed. Today, The Northeast Ohio NewsGuild-CWA Local One represents over 100 employees working at The Akron Beacon Journal, The Repository in Canton, The Independent in Massillon and The Record-Courier in Kent and Ravenna.

The Independent Unit organized in 1943. The Repository Unit organized in 1968. The Repository and The Independent merged into one bargaining unit in 2013, though they remain separate newspapers under the same owner.

The Akron Beacon Journal Unit, formerly Local 7, which also participated in the Guild’s founding
convention in 1933, merged with Local One in November 1995. The merger brought a new name to
Local One: Northeast Ohio Newspaper Guild.

The Plain Dealer Unit (Cleveland) was organized during WWII and was the largest unit in
Local One after The Cleveland Press closed in June 1982. The unit ceased in May 2020 when, in a union-
busting effort, the work was moved to the non-union Cleveland.com newsroom of the same owner and
the remaining members were laid off.

Internationally, The NewsGuild (TNG) represents thousands of workers at newspapers, magazines, wire
services, digital media platforms, television and radio stations, non-profits and workers in other fields
throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. In September 1995, the membership voted to
affiliate with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), creating The NewsGuild Sector. The CWA
has more than 400,000 members.

Officers & Executive Committee