ProPublica Union Strikes Over AI, Layoffs, and Wages

Unionized staff at the nonprofit newsroom are walking off the job for 24 hours, asking the public to honor a digital picket line.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 11:53am

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Unionized staff at ProPublica, one of the country's leading nonprofit newsrooms, are striking for 24 hours starting Wednesday over key issues in their collective bargaining negotiations, including protections around the use of AI, just cause provisions for discipline and layoffs, and wages.

Why it matters

This strike highlights the growing tensions between newsroom workers and management over the increasing use of AI in journalism, as well as broader concerns around job security and fair compensation in the industry.

The details

The roughly 150 members of the ProPublica Guild are negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement after unionizing in 2023. Key issues include how generative AI will be used and disclosed, protections against layoffs due to AI, and wage increases. The union filed an unfair labor practice charge over ProPublica's unilateral implementation of an AI policy, and workers want more input and transparency around the use of these tools.

  • The ProPublica Guild voted in March to authorize a strike if a deal was not reached with management.
  • The 24-hour work stoppage began on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

The players

ProPublica Guild

The union representing roughly 150 staff members at the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica.

Katie Campbell

A member of the ProPublica Guild.

Mark Olalde

A member of the ProPublica Guild bargaining committee.

The NewsGuild

The union that represents the ProPublica staff.

ProPublica

A leading nonprofit investigative journalism organization.

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What they’re saying

“We've been working to resolve this quietly for over two years. This is a moment to make clear to management and to the public how important these issues are to the people who produce this work.”

— Katie Campbell, ProPublica Guild member

“The guidelines are a little bit squishy because there's a general agreement that we're not using [AI] to write, we're not using it to create photos, videos, things like that at this point. What's on the website is really as far as the company has written things formally, which is why we're trying to enshrine some of these things in an AI article in the contract.”

— Mark Olalde, Member of the ProPublica Guild bargaining committee

“I think that there are times when it can be very ethically, fairly, and accurately used as a tool, but when it starts to replace work that humans do and core functions that can be done better by humans, I think that's kind of the thing that some folks are struggling with.”

— Katie Campbell, ProPublica Guild member

What’s next

The ProPublica Guild and management will continue negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement, with the 24-hour strike aimed at drawing public attention to the key issues at stake.

The takeaway

This strike reflects the growing tensions in newsrooms over the increasing use of AI and the need for journalists to have a voice in how these technologies are implemented and their impact on jobs and working conditions.