CNG Spotlight: Kenosha-Racine NewsGuild

With a small but mighty crew of five members, the Kenosha-Racine NewsGuild is working to protect local journalism in the beautiful state of Wisconsin. Located only about ten miles apart along the lakefront of Southeast Wisconsin just south of Milwaukee, the two newsrooms have a lot in common. Aside from their geographic kinship, they share the same regional editor, and one reporter covers crime for both papers. The Racine newsroom unionized in September 2024 and soon merged with Kenosha—which had been unioned for decades—forming one combined bargaining unit. 

Considering what it means to be in the union, member Rose Androwich said: “I hope that as a member of the Kenosha-Racine NewsGuild I’m able to do my part to help ensure a fair contract that protects all of our journalists and the future journalists at our papers.”

Kenosha-Racine NewsGuild members at Kenosha Laborfest event on Sept. 7, 2026. Pictured, from left to right: Holly Gilvary (former KR NewsGuild member until late August), Milana Doné, Ryan Patterson, Rose Androwich, and Brian Rosenzweig. (Not pictured: Mitch Fink) 

After nearly a year of bargaining, they reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with their owner Lee Enterprises on September 4. This new contract includes a new pay schedule and provides for annual raises of at least 2.5%. The last few months have been busy for Kenosha-Racine. They mobilized by getting hundreds of signatures on a petition supporting their demands for a fair contract, received statements of support from state lawmakers, and presented their petition in-person to management with a local official and fellow area union member joining them.

Connect with the Kenosha-Racine NewsGuild and follow along with updates on Facebook and Twitter/X.