Labor Tribune wins nine national labor press awards

Consistent winner year-after-year brings Labor’s news to our union families

The Labor Tribune is proud to announce that we’ve won nine awards for journalistic excellence in the 2018 nation-wide labor media contest (for work in 2017) sponsored by the International Labor Press Association (ILCA), the Labor press arm of the AFL-CIO.

“The Labor Tribune’s professional staff is second to none in America, and we’re proud to be able to provide our bi-state St. Louis/Southern Illinois region’s union families with one of the most aggressive, progressive Labor papers in America — and one of the few weekly papers still publishing  — allowing us to keep you, our readers and leaders, current on local, regional and national issues effecting us all,” said Publisher Ed Finkelstein.

The awards, in the category of State, Regional, Central Labor Council and local union sponsored publications, include:

• First Place: Best front page by Labor Tribune senior staff designer Lynn Alpert.

• Second Place: three winners: (1) General excellence for overall content by staff and correspondents, (2) Best Front Page by Editor Tim Rowden and Alpert and (3) Best Illustration drawn for the paper’s Christmas year around charity summary story by Sean O’Conner, Sprinkler Fitters 268 member and freelance graphic designer.

• Third Place: two winners: (1) Writing, Best Analysis by correspondent Sheri Gassaway for “The harsh reality of the gender pay gap” and (2) Best Informational Graphic by Alpert.

• Honorable Mention: three winners: (1) Writing, Best News Story by Rowden, “RTW benefactor David Humphreys threatens to leave Missouri;” (2) Best Feature Story by Editor Tim Rowden, “The show must go on, and it needs trained workers” and (3) Best Editorial or Column by contributor State Representative Doug Beck, member Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562, “‘I have tried not to take this personally, but…’”

“We are proud that the Labor Tribune is consistently an annual winner in the national Labor awards contest, a mark of the professionalism of our staff recognized by our peers,” said Finkelstein. Judges of the contest are other labor journalists. Last year the paper won three awards.

“Our goal: provide the most well-rounded, complete coverage of our union’s news, events and special happenings, something sorely lacking in the general print, broadcast and online media,” Finkelstein added.