Labor Tribune wins six national Labor journalism awards

Talented staff produces stories not found anywhere else to inform, educate union workers, families

Once again the Labor Tribune has been recognized as one of the leading Labor publications in America, winning six awards in the 2019 national Labor Media Contest (for work in 2018) sponsored by the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA). In the last five years alone, excluding the current winners, your Labor Tribune has scored 33 national awards.

Only the California Federation of Teachers had more single award winners this year, winning eight.

The Labor Tribune competed in the Local, Regional and State publications group, which had 65 entries in various categories. All totaled, there were 670 entries in the contest.

“We are extremely proud of our talented staff and their incredible professionalism,” said Publisher Ed Finkelstein. “Everyone is a committed unionist, outstanding journalist and works diligently to get the variety and quality of stories that are found only in the Labor Tribune, no where else, educating our members, families and the public.”

This year’s winners (for work completed in 2018) are:

FIRST PLACE
• Writing category/Best Series: Unsafe at any price researched and written by Editor Tim Rowden, for a three-part series examining the tragic death of two workers at a downtown construction job and documenting how the non-union contractor consistently ignored unsafe working conditions that led to the deaths. While local media only covered the deaths, Tim, in close collaboration with Laborers Local 42, did an extensive investigation into the scab company and its unsafe conditions as a follow-up to the tragic deaths. The scab contractor was removed and replaced with a union company and their trained workforce.

SECOND PLACE
• General Excellence, Single Subject: Right To Work/Prop A Special Issue written by the entire staff featured 24 pages detailing the negative impact of Missouri’s so-called “right-to-work” (RTW) law from a variety of issues designed to prove to any doubter that this law is bad for workers and their families. The issue published right before the public vote and had an additional 200,000 circulation, bringing the message directly to voters. Among the many different focused topics – impact on working moms, child education, public schools, workers’ health and quality of life. Each topic charted RTW states against non-RTW states to show how, nationally, RTW laws consistently hurt workers everywhere. The charts for each of the series listed “best” and “worst” with RTW states highlighted, providing a visual design element to make the point of each story.

THIRD PLACE
• Visual Communications: Best Front Page/Cover of a Newspaper: Missouri Wins AGAIN! designed by talented Graphic Designer/Production Manager Lynn Alpert. The page exudes “victory” showing two photos: a full page of the RTW victory party with leadership throwing their hands in the air in juxtaposition with a similar photo showing the same jubilation following Labor’s 1978 victory over that year’s RTW effort.

• Writing: Best Feature Story: Sherrie Ponder, a woman trailblazer, member of Laborers Local 42 written by Correspondent Mary Ann Holley highlighting how Ponder, then a single mother of two working two jobs at a restaurant and tending bar, ultimately found her way into the Laborers apprentice program and never looked back.

HONORABLE MENTION
• Writing: Best News Story: Hope and 500 union jobs return to Granite City by Illinois Correspondent Carl Green telling the story of the re-opening of the Granite City steel mill and the joy and hope it brought to 500 laid-off union steelworkers and their families.

• Writing: Best Series: Why Vote No Prop A by Publisher Ed Finkelstein, a 14-part series exposing how the phony “right-to-work” would impact workers at every aspect of their lives: safety on the job, seniors, millennials, family safety, living wages, etc.

TESTIMONY TO PAPER’S VALUE
“Not once in the 48 years I’ve been honored to be part of the Labor Tribune, have we not received at least several awards in this national contest among Labor publications across America,” Finkelstein added.

“It’s testimony to the value the Labor Tribune brings to our bi-state Labor Movements every week to educate our members and families, explain complex issues at the local, state and federal levels, and serve as the unifying force for our entire regional Labor Movement. I’m so very proud of our staff and our efforts to serve our Labor community.”