Press

ALBANY, NY (Jun. 8) — Senator Patricia Fahy (D–Albany), Assemblymember Nily Rozic (D–NYC), and the NY FAIR News Act coalition announced that the New York state legislature passed the NY FAIR News Act (New York Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Requirements in News Act), S.8451-B / A.8962-B, landmark legislation that mandates news organizations operating in the State include clear disclaimers on published content substantially or wholly generated by artificial intelligence. The NY FAIR News Act now heads to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk for signature.

NEW YORK – The New York Times is using AI technology to monitor and surveil the performance of unionized tech workers in violation of their collective bargaining agreement, the NewsGuild of New York says. 

There is no doubt these are, and will continue to be, difficult days ahead for all of our members at Mic. We are here with them, and will continue to be, every step of the way. Mic management has counted on our dedicated members to maintain its journalistic reputation and identity as a mission-driven media organization for years with their hard work, and professionalism in the face of constantly shifting and poorly-defined corporate priorities.

President Donald Trump chose to pick a fight with the media again yesterday, further exposing a dangerous mindset toward the press and the necessary role of journalism in our society.

Yesterday Meredith announced the sale of TIME magazine to Salesforce chairman and co-founder Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne, a marketing consultant and philanthropist, for $190 million.

Today Tronc delivered yet another devastating blow to the media industry. In its decision to lay off 50 percent of The Daily News’ editorial staff, Tronc’s management has sent a dangerous message to the public: journalism doesn’t matter.

When Daily Beast management – led by our new corporate partners Ben Sherwood and Joanna Coles – informed us several weeks ago they were looking to slash staff in our newsroom, our bargaining team went right to work.

We successfully negotiated a robust buyout plan for our members, giving them the chance to decide for themselves if they wanted to leave the company. Twenty-five unit members, or roughly 70 percent of our unit, applied for the buyout. Our members now have a seven-day window to accept the buyout or rescind their application, which will mean the total number of members who choose to leave could change.

We have also won job security for unit members who choose to stay with the Company. Because we expect to exceed $1.5 million in payroll savings through the buyouts, unit members will be protected from any layoffs through Dec. 31, 2024.

We have also struck a tentative two-year collective bargaining agreement with the Company that benefits all of our members, whether they are choosing to take a buyout or staying. We have achieved retroactive pay increases from January 1 for all members. For members who are staying, the contract lifts wages for the lowest earners by at least 4% in 2024 (4.5% in 2025); mid-range earners by 2.5% in 2024 and 3% in 2025; higher-paid earners by 1% in 2024 and 1.5% in 2025; and top-paid workers by .5% in both years.

We have been in the driver's seat of this process since Sherwood and Coles arrived at the Beast. We have battled with Company lawyers, demanded information in the face of uncertainty, and have won the fight for our colleagues to design their own futures. The security and dignity we’ve afforded our colleagues affirms that our work is valuable and empowering. No matter how many members accept the buyout, our work as a Union will continue. Managers come and go, but we, the Daily Beast Union, are here to stay.

From the NYTimes:  More than 100 New York Times workers and their supporters protested outside The Times’s Manhattan headquarters on Tuesday, accusing the company of delaying contract talks.