Stanwood and Skagit reporters strike for higher wages
Published 1:30 am Friday, July 31, 2026
EVERETT — After nine months of bargaining for higher wages and protections against artificial intelligence, reporters at Stanwood Camano News, the Skagit Valley Herald and the Anacortes American went on strike last week.
The news outlets are owned by Minnesota-based Adams MultiMedia, which owns newspapers in 20 states. The unionized reporters started their strike July 24 and hoped to reach a deal with Adams on Monday but failed to do so. Then, the strike continued until the morning of July 29.
The reporters are part of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild.
“We definitely saw a lot of positive feedback when we were out on the picket lines,” said Vince Richardson, Skagit Herald reporter and the union president, in a Wednesday interview. “We’re hoping it is a little bit of an eye-opening experience.”
Reporters at the newspapers make between $19.10 and $22.29 per hour, including those who have been there for 20 years, a press release said. They hope to raise the starting salary to $20 an hour, but Adams is currently holding firm at $19.48, said Libby Williams, the sole reporter at Stanwood Camano News.
Skagit County’s living wage for one adult with no children is $23.87 per hour, according to the MIT Living Wage calculator.
“I’m covering every beat, and I’m putting out two to three stories a day online and doing all the photos,” Williams said in a Wednesday interview. “So just kind of show them that we’re not just taking it. I know it was a short-term strike but I think it helped us solidify that we’re taking it seriously.”
On AI, the reporters don’t want any AI-generated content in their newspapers, while Adams wants the contract language to leave the option open.
The reporters’ current contract has no AI policy, Richardson said.
Adams will continue to bargain in good faith with the northwest news guild for a contract in Skagit, said Deb Brooks, western division manager, in an email.
“Unions generally have the right to strike in support of their bargaining demands, and the Company respects that right,” she said. “The Company expects that negotiations in Skagit will eventually result in a labor agreement acceptable to both parties, hopefully sooner rather than later.”
Adams’ AI proposal was accepted earlier this year by a news guild in Denver for the media company’s sister newspapers in Bozeman and Cheyenne, Brooks said.
Richardson expects to bargain again with Adams during the second or third week of August, he said.
Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; Bluesky: @btayokay.bsky.social
