Skagit journalists look ahead after strike
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Since November 2025, unionized journalists at the Skagit Valley Herald, Anacortes American and Stanwood Camano News have been negotiating the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement with Adams MultiMedia.
Throughout the process, management at Adams and its lawyer have maintained that there should be “no limitation” on its use of artificial intelligence to generate news content, which is reflected in their proposed contract.
Besides common sense protections against AI, the journalists are seeking modest annual pay increases and a minimum wage of $20 an hour. Currently, the minimum starting rate is $19.10.
Eight college-educated journalists now make between $19.10 and $22.29 an hour, including members who have been with the company for more than 20 years.
The journalists often work second jobs to make ends meet while paying off student loans and struggling to both find and keep housing they can afford.
A living wage in Skagit County is $23.87 an hour for a single adult with no children, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage calculator.
Furthermore, management has maintained that journalists at the Anacortes American and Stanwood-Camano News should be treated differently than their peers by setting their starting minimum wage at $18 an hour.
The company’s own metrics show that the two reporters who work at Stanwood Camano News and Anacortes American are producing the same, if not more news content, compared to their peers at the Skagit Valley Herald.
The journalists find the proposed AI usage and our current wages unacceptable, as do the vast majority of readers the journalists have interacted with during a strike that lasted from Friday, July 24 to Wednesday, July 29.
The journalists entered the limited, three-day strike with the goal of reaching a deal during negotiations on Monday, July 27 that would end the strike early.
Management was presented with another proposed contract from the unit. They said they were unable to respond at that time, and the strike continued for another day.
On July 27, the bargaining unit countered management’s most recent proposal with a two-year contract containing a new minimum wage in 2026, followed by a 2% annual raise for employees with less than three years of service to the company. By 2027, those employees would receive $20.40 an hour.
They also proposed equal starting wages across all three publications.
Under that proposal, employees with three to five years of service would receive $22 an hour in 2025, with annual raises rising to $24.44 an hour in 2027. Employees with five or more years of service would receive $24 in 2026, rising to $24.48 in 2027.
This proposal came after the company proposed a minimum of $19.48 in 2026, rising to $19.87 in 2027 for employees with less than three years of service.
For those with three to five years of service, the company has proposed $21.85 in 2026 and $22.09 in 2027. For those with five or more years of service, the company has proposed $22.47 in 2026 and $23.19 in 2027 — still 68 cents shy of a living wage.
The journalists and the company are set to negotiate on August 24. If that meeting does not result in a deal, the journalists may strike once again, for an indefinite period of time.
Testimonies
During a press conference on July 24, reporters from across the three publications expressed to the public and management their reasons for striking.
“I’m scared of what my financial future is going to be,” Skagit Valley Herald reporter Cameron Martinez said.
“In November, I’m turning 26, which means I will be taken off my parent’s healthcare plan, which I rely on for gender affirming care.”
Martinez said they are eligible for Adam’s healthcare plan, but it’s another added expense to a salary that barely lets them skate by.
“I’m not asking for a lot. I just want the ability to live a happy, healthy life.”
Libby Williams is the reporter at the Stanwood Camano News and a freelancer for Salish Current. She said she’s concerned the company could try to use AI to do her job.
“When I interview someone, that’s a personal interaction, especially for the many human interest stories I’ve written,” she said.
“These stories are about triumphs and people’s darkest days. I’ve interviewed winners of national competitions and I’ve interviewed parents who have lost a child.”
She said using AI for any part of the process of writing stories feels “disingenuous and inappropriate,” and takes away from the human aspect of telling stories and relaying information.
“We are a team of professional writers, photographers, videographers and first and foremost, listeners. AI can’t do those things like humans can.”
Ava Ronning also reports for the Skagit Valley Herald. She has concerns about the accuracy and public reception of generative AI.
“AI makes a ton of mistakes and factual errors, and it doesn’t care about local stories or local people. We care,” Ronning said.
She referenced a MIT study that reported 95% of companies that have tried generative AI failed to turn a profit.
“Customers are irritated because they want to talk with people, not robots, and they want accurate information,” Ronning said.
“I’m going on strike today because I love my job and I want to keep telling the community’s stories. Let’s keep the news human.”
—Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild represents more than 350 workers in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho, united in the belief that strong jobs preserve strong journalism in the Northwest.