Press

NEW YORK – They built their careers at New York’s Hometown Paper, the Daily News. 

Now, 130 former Daily News journalists have signed onto a petition, calling for management at the Daily News and execs at predatory hedge fund owner Alden Global Capital to recognize the current staff’s value and agree to a fair contract. 

NEW YORK – Unionized journalists at two Gannett newspapers in New York have ratified a two-year collective bargaining agreement that will correct long-standing wage stagnation, set salary minimums for the first time and improve time off and job security. 

Meredith Corporation yesterday announced the sale of Sports Illustrated—a longstanding NewsGuild of New York-represented publication—to Authentic Brands Group, a global brand development, marketing and entertainment company.

New York Magazine announced today that it will be implementing a “restructuring” and staff reduction, which impacts eight full-time and 16 part-time NewsGuild bargaining unit members.

Last night, we unanimously (168-0!) ratified a remarkable first contract that fiercely protects and improves the working conditions of everyone in the newsroom at Law360.

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.

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.