Press

NEW YORK –  Unionized journalists at Ziff Davis brands including PCMag, CNET, Mashable and more have overwhelmingly approved a vote of no confidence in company executive vice president and tech group general manager Kate Gutman. The collective action from workers at the company comes in response to multiple rounds of layoffs during the last two years.

NEW YORK –  Editorial workers at LexisNexis regulation news websites MLex US and FTCWatch are joining The NewsGuild of New York as part of Law360 Union.

This week, The NewsGuild of New York's Executive Committee took an historic vote of solidarity to stand with NewsGuild members across the nation. 

NewsGuild of New York members have made it clear that they will not stand by while companies shield harassers at the expense of worker safety. The Guild is committed to abolishing the use of non-disclosure agreements in the media industry and is proud of our members for leading this effort in our newsrooms.

Today, TIME voluntarily recognized the editorial employees of TIME for Kids who requested to join their colleagues represented by the NewsGuild of New York. The NewsGuild and TIME have had a longstanding and productive relationship.

Last night at 9:11 p.m., New York Media management informed our members with no prior notice that the company has merged with Vox Media. Our members deserved far greater respect, especially as we are currently actively bargaining for a first contract. While we support any endeavor that protects the future of these publications, our job is to hold management to their word that this merger will only strengthen these publications and the careers of our members. 

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.