WORK STOPPAGE TODAY: Unionized staff at Condé Nast brands such as Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue and more walk off the job

NEW YORK –  Outraged over the unlawful handling of layoff negotiations and bad-faith bargaining, unionized staff at many of the top Condé Nast brands have walked off the job for one day and will picket outside One World Trade Center in New York City today. 

“The last nearly three months of fighting for our co-workers on the company’s layoff list has led us to today,” said Ben Dewey, a CNE videographer and vice chair of the CNE unit of Condé Nast Union. “Our 24-hour walkout is about standing firmly behind our colleagues and showing Condé Nast management in the clearest possible way that we will not tolerate their disrespect at the bargaining table over these layoffs. It is time to start bargaining in good faith with us.” 

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 around 20% of the union, with the same severance package offered to other affected workers in the company. 

Condé Nast Union – which represents workers powering brands such as Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Glamour, GQ, Self, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Condé Nast Entertainment – has been bargaining its first contract since certification in September 2022. As a result, any changes to working conditions, including layoffs, must be negotiated. 

The Condé Nast Union bargaining team countered with a lower number of layoffs, additional severance and a layoff moratorium. Earlier this month, Condé Nast executives sent to the NYGuild their latest proposal, which kept  the total number of laid-off workers at 94 and cut the previously offered severance by more than half.  

Immediately after, The NewsGuild of New York filed an unfair labor practice charge on behalf of Condé Nast Union against the company for regressive bargaining, a form of bad faith bargaining in which one side moves backwards offering less on a proposal than was previously offered.

“Media workers at Condé Nast are key to the company’s success and reputation for excellence,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “They deserve for their work to be respected on the job and at the bargaining table. Guild members walked off the job today to remind management of their worth and urge company reps to bargain in good faith. We demand nothing less.”

WALKOUT DETAILS:

• Picketing will begin at 10 a.m. on West Street near Vesey Street outside One World Trade Center, NYC, with a rally from 1 to 2 p.m.  
• Note to TV and visual journalists: Picket line will feature an Oscars-nomination-style treatment with a red carpet, ‘step and repeat’ and more to further highlight why these journalists chose to walkout today.