WHATEVER IT TAKES: Condé Union members ready to walk off the job after months of disrespectful actions by management at the bargaining table

NEW YORK –  Unionized staff at Condé Nast brands such as Vanity Fair, GQ, Glamour, Bon Appétit and more have pledged to walk off the job after months of contentious bargaining on their first contract as well as on management’s proposed layoffs – and with the Met Gala a week away.

“Management apparently thinks it’s acceptable to threaten us with more job losses and waste our time at the bargaining table,” said Alma Avalle, a writer and producer for Bon Appétit. “We are ready to do whatever it takes to get our contract and protect jobs. It’s up to management to decide what happens next.”  

As a kick off to what promises to be a week of union actions, Guild members have delivered a video announcement to management at the bargaining table today, letting management know that an overwhelming majority of members have pledged to do whatever it takes. 

Condé Union – which represents workers at brands such as Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Glamour, GQ, Self, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Them, and Condé Nast Entertainment – has been bargaining its first contract since certification in September 2022. The union is part of the NewsGuild of New York, the labor union representing nearly 6,000 media workers. 

Condé Nast management announced on Nov. 1 its plans to lay off 5% of its workforce. The company then proposed laying off 94 Condé Union members, or 17% of the union. The Guild has the legal right to negotiate the layoffs as part of a completed contract. 

Since that time, the Guild bargaining team has been working diligently to pass proposals in an effort to get to a completed contract as well as has passed proposals on layoffs.  Management has moved at a glacial pace on negotiating a fair contract that honors members’ work. 

But it’s the layoffs management really wants, focusing on slashing staff and treating those workers as if they are not human beings but costs on a spreadsheet. At several points during negotiations management has threatened to add more positions to their layoff list if the Guild persisted in its fight to bargain everything together as one completed contract. Ultimately, management did add more positions.

For the Condé Union members and for the NewsGuild of New York, this is wholly unacceptable. 

“Our members are committed to getting this contract,” said Susan DeCarava, President of the NewsGuild of New York. “They will not settle for anything less than a deal that honors the value they bring and their contributions to Condé’s success.”