Sara Steffens
The Newspaper Guild-CWA
California
Never Safe from Employer Retaliation
Sara Steffens, an award-winning reporter at California's Contra Costa Times, found that being at the top of her profession wasn't enough to keep her job.
Steffens and her co-workers wanted a union so they could earn a fair wage and have job security and health care so they could provide for their families. Steffens volunteered to help lead the organizing effort because she is a mother of a young child and an active participant in community charities.
After Steffens and her co-workers decided to vote on whether to join a union, company management immediately began a campaign of anti-union propaganda and scare tactics. The company falsely claimed that with a union, workers would never get raises, receive good assignments or even be allowed to schedule their own bathroom breaks.
Despite management's lies and harassment, Steffens and her co-workers voted to form a union—104 to 92. Two weeks later, she and 29 of her co-workers found out they would be laid off. Steffens believes the company targeted outspoken union supporters for layoffs. Charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board challenging the layoffs are on appeal.
Despite being laid off, Steffens has not stopped fighting for her co-workers and her family. She has become an organizer with The Newspaper Guild-CWA (TNG-CWA) and works every day to help pass the Employee Free Choice Act so all Americans have the right to join a union without experiencing what she did.
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