P.M. BRIEFING : S.F. News Guild Approves Strike

A union representing about 1,200 San Francisco newspaper workers unanimously authorized a strike if contract talks fail to forge an agreement soon.

“We’ve been bargaining since last February, and our members are increasingly upset that no contract has been reached yet,” said Bernie Beck of the Northern California Newspaper Guild’s unit at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Local guild President Steven R. Michael said no deadline for completion of contract talks had been set.

The guild represents reporters and certain other employees at the Chronicle, Examiner and the Newspaper Agency, the jointly owned company that prints and distributes both papers. They have worked without a contract since Feb. 2.