NewsGuild-CWA’s New Yorker Union Wins Agreement After Voting Unanimously to Authorize a Strike

On October 16th, several days after unanimously voting to strike and nearly two weeks before the 25th annual star-studded New Yorker Festival, workers at the New Yorker came to a Tentative Agreement with Condé Nast, the company that owns the magazine. 

While workers circulated a support pledge for a possible strike, the Bargaining Committee began to see movement from management in key areas such as pay, job security, and company policies governing employees’ ability to perform work outside of company time. 

“Our members’ unflagging solidarity and militancy—along with invaluable support from our colleagues outside the union—showed that we are organized, united, and committed to fighting for our rights,” said Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker Union Unit Chair. “We refused to give in to the company’s attempts to erode the progress we’ve made since unionizing in 2018, and we won a contract that continues to raise standards for workers at The New Yorker, at Condé Nast, and throughout the media industry.”

Highlights of the three-year contract include:

• Increased the salary floor
• Wage Increases over the life of the contract
• Ratification bonus for all full-time members on top of the GWI
• Outside work language that limited Conde Nast’s overreaching proposal, protecting members’ ability to take on external opportunities without unnecessary corporate surveillance
• Improved layoff language 
• Improved vacation accrual and standards for creative leave
• Improved paid family leave.

“Our members have demonstrated the value of their labor to the New Yorker, time and time again. We are so pleased they have secured such a strong contract,” said Susan DeCarava, NY Guild President. “This agreement builds on years of hard work by these incredible members, improving working conditions not just for the magazines’ employees, but setting higher standards for the entire industry.”