Two Years, Too Long: Law360 Union Members Overwhelmingly Approve Strike Authorization
10/24/2018
New York, NY — Union members at Law360 voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to approve a strike authorization after two years at the bargaining table and no contract to show for it. The vote allows union leaders at the LexisNexis-owned legal news site to call for a strike if management does not promptly make significant movement in negotiations toward finalizing a strong, first contract. The editorial staffers of Law360, including reporters and editors, are members of the NewsGuild of New York — the local union that represents nearly 3,000 media and research professionals working in the New York City metro area.
Law360 workers announced their organizing campaign in July 2016 when an overwhelming majority of staffers called on management to voluntarily recognize the union. In August 2016, a 92-percent majority of the editorial staff voted for Guild representation in an election after battling an aggressive anti-union campaign by company management.
“I am proud that after two years of negotiations, our members have continued to stand together, putting constant pressure on management to make progress at the table,” said Grant Glickson, president of the NewsGuild of New York. “Though there have been meaningful discussions and agreements, we still don’t have the complete contract that our workers deserve, and we’re done waiting.”
Members of the Law360 Bargaining Committee have won tentative agreements on critical issues that motivated staffers to organize. To date, the Guild has accomplished agreements on the elimination of story quotas and noncompete agreements that blocked staffers from taking other jobs; robust layoff protections; strict regulation of subcontracting; time-and-a-half overtime pay; and bereavement leave. The agreements on overtime pay and bereavement leave were put into effect immediately, while talks for a contract continue, a rare decision that is a testament to the members’ strength. Members and management are continuing to negotiate over, among other proposals, wages, healthcare, and 401(k) contributions — issues the union won’t sit around waiting another two years to reach agreement on.
If Law360 workers choose to strike, they will be the first digital media company to do so.
“We don’t want to strike,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, unit chair of Law360. “But, after two years, we’re done with management dragging out these negotiations. This vote demonstrates that our newsroom stands united and is committed to securing a great contract, no matter what it takes.”
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About the NewsGuild of New York
The NewsGuild of New York is the union for news professionals in America’s media capital. We are the workplace advocate for people in the media business, including some of the best journalists in the country. The national NewsGuild is the largest union for news professionals — and we are its biggest local, fearlessly representing nearly 3,000 journalists and other media employees at New York-based media organizations and their respective bureaus. We understand journalism, from print to digital to broadcast.
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