STRIKE AUTHORIZATION: 96% of unionized workers at legal news service Law360 voted yes

NEW YORK – Unionized editorial workers at LexisNexis-owned Law360 voted to authorize a strike Monday, as a direct result of the company’s persistent intransigence at the bargaining table, unlawful tactics that violate union members’ rights and planned layoffs following record profits in ‘23.

Law360 Union is part of the NewsGuild of New York, which represents nearly 7,000 media workers. 

The strike authorization vote took place Sunday through Monday, with just over 95% of the union’s members voting and 96% approving the strike. 

Bargaining team members notified management at the bargaining table Tuesday. 

“What this vote means is that we are standing together and ready to walk off the job indefinitely unless LexisNexis and Law360 do the right thing by us and the people who pay to subscribe to our work,” said Hailey Konnath, a reporter for Law360 and unit chair for the union. “Terminating our members and dragging out contract talks has forced us to this point and we want to be absolutely clear we will not back down.” 

On Feb. 15, LexisNexis officials congratulated themselves on earning record profits in 2023, followed by an announcement of their intention to terminate 10% of newsroom staff. 

Contract negotiations between the union, which represents nearly 300 workers, and LexisNexis began on Nov. 17, 2022. The union’s current contract expired on Dec. 31, 2022. Since that time, management has refused to respond (either at all, or meaningfully) to a host of major proposals including sick time, parental leave, paid time off, and retirement. 

Along with that, LexisNexis and Law360 have engaged in tactics at the bargaining table that  violate federal labor law. The NewsGuild of New York filed an unfair labor practice charge on behalf of Law360 Union against LexisNexis after company reps threatened Guild members with less favorable terms the longer negotiations continue. Regressive bargaining is a form of bad faith bargaining, in which one side moves backwards, offering less on a proposal than they had previously offered. 

“Our members at Law360 have a strong and vibrant history of holding the line for better working conditions in their newsroom and in newsrooms across our union. LexisNexis and Law360 management are officially on notice that what they’ve put on the table in these negotiations is simply unacceptable,” said Susan DeCarava, NewsGuild of New York president. “To put it simply, we understand the value of our labor and are ready to collectively fight and win for what we deserve.”