Members of the New Yorker’s union are participating in a work stoppage amid a monetary fight with the company.
The union announced that its members are partaking in a “twenty-four-hour work stoppage,” beginning at 6 a.m. on Thursday, which will last until Friday morning. The participating union members total more than 100 employees, according to John Austin, the communications director of the NewsGuild of New York.
The company and the union have negotiated for years about a litany of contract provisions. The latest development occurred earlier this week when the union released a pay study on the company that found that the men’s median salary is higher than the women’s and that disparities existed based on race.
“We’ve had just two bargaining sessions related to economics: the union delivered a wage proposal at the end of 2020 and, in our first bargaining session of 2021, the company delivered a counter proposal. These were, on both sides, initial offers,” a New Yorker spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“It is our hope that, as opposed to resorting to actions like this one, the union will bargain in good faith and return a counter proposal, as is standard in negotiations,” the statement continued. “That way, we can work together productively to reach a final contract as quickly as possible.”
In a statement announcing the work stoppage, the union said that in November of last year, it offered a new wage proposal, which included creating a salary floor of $65,000 that would help entry-level employees afford the cost of living in New York. However, according to the union, which said it thought the proposal was “aspirational but not unrealistic,” the company responded about two months later and offered a salary floor of $45,000, only $3,000 more than the current lowest full-time salary.
The company also proposed keeping the right to lower a union member’s salary by as much as 20% at any time in the event of a financial emergency. The New Yorker reduced the salaries of employees who make six figures by 10-20% for a five month period starting last May.
“The company’s proposal showed disrespect for us and for the work we do,” the union’s statement read. “Today’s work stoppage is meant to remind The New Yorker and Conde Nast of the value of our labor, and to demonstrate our members’ solidarity in fighting for a fair contract — which includes fair pay. New Yorker and Conde Nast management have often expressed gratitude and admiration for our dedication to our work. We urge them to meet us at the table next week ready to bargain in good faith over wages and other outstanding items, and to make efficient progress toward the contract our members deserve.”
While the next steps for the union are not clear, those who are participating in the strike will get back to work on Friday.
“Our next step is that members will return to work tomorrow — and hopefully, management has seen this important statement, listened to its staff, and comes to the next bargaining session prepared with proposals that are equitable and fair,” Austin told the Washington Examiner.
The salary study showed that the difference in the men’s median pay and women’s median pay at the company is $4,000, and “among employees of color, the gap between men’s and women’s median pay is closer to $7,000.”
“We are devoted to fair pay all around. We dispute certain conclusions of this study, and we are determined to get to an equitable agreement,” the spokesperson for the New Yorker said.
