Guilds: Our families are not bargaining chips

Sunday is National Parents' Day. In our network of news guilds, we've pushed Lee Enterprises to offer better parental leave so people can spend crucial time with their newborns.

Corporate listened and boosted its leave recently — but doesn't want to extend it to us unless we sacrifice other protections that we fought hard to win.

It's troubling that the company would try to use our children as leverage to get concessions. The additional parental leave is in effect now for many. But corporate is holding it over the guilds in an attempt to rewrite other parts of our contracts.

We're urging Lee Enterprises to do the right thing. These aren't tactics or strategies for us. These are our families.

We're united with Blue Ridge News Guild, Omaha World-Herald Guild, Montana News Guild and others in our determination to fight for fair treatment.