Photojournalists Strike Update

An agreement between The Sun of Baltimore and the Newspaper Guild was passed by the union members by voice voice Thursday night. The union has agreed to a the provision that would require reporters to take photos, but only with some type of training, training that has not been specified by either side. According to a story by Editor & Publisher’s Joe Strupp, “Guild officials had objected to the proposal, with 140 members even signing a petition against it on Wednesday. The new deal requires that any staffer forced to work as both a reporter and photographer have proper training. ‘They have to provide that training,’ said Bill Salganik, President of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild. ‘It makes us feel we’ve got to keep an eye on it, but it is a protection. We all want a quality product.’ Sun spokeswoman Linda Yurche called the photographer/reporter provision “a positive thing for everyone.”