The Wall Street Journal management’s decision to restrict bylines and eliminate taglines will be reviewed by the National Labor Relations Board after IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096 filed a complaint on Thursday.
The charge, delivered to NLRB Region 2 in New York, accuses Dow Jones of unfair labor practices by unilaterally imposing new byline and tagline policies that deny journalists credit for their work and by refusing to negotiate over terms and conditions.
The union alleges that management’s actions violate IAPE members’ rights under Section 8(a)1 and 8(a) 5 of the National Labor Relations Act.
“Since at least February 13, 2025, the Company has failed and refused to bargain in good faith,” the union said in its NLRB complaint. “WSJ management has imposed a new policy restricting the number of bylines per article, and has eliminated tagline credits. Management has referred to the new policy as ‘nonnegotiable.’”
After hearing that WSJ management refuses to allow more than three bylines per story and has eliminated tagline credits for staff who contribute to a story, IAPE’s Labor-Management Committee tried to negotiate with company officials over terms and conditions of the new policy. Instead, management representatives told the union that bylines are an area of “editorial discretion” and that negotiations are not necessary.
IAPE disagrees, and is prepared to argue that byline and tagline policies are mandatory elements of bargaining in general. This position is underscored by WSJ management’s practice of considering byline and tagline totals when evaluating performance and disciplining employees.
Meanwhile, it is standard practice at several of WSJ’s direct competitors to regularly include multiple names for numerous contributors in bylined articles.
The union’s charge will be reviewed by NLRB Region 2 staff to determine whether formal action is warranted.
