Title: New York Magazine Union Reaches Tentative Labor Contract Deal with Management
Heading: Walkout Averted at New York Magazine as Union Reaches Tentative Deal
A planned walkout at New York magazine was averted Friday evening as its union reached a tentative deal with management on a second labor contract.
Heading: Details of the Tentative Labor Contract Deal
The three-year provisional deal, which is still subject to a ratification vote by union members, creates guardrails around the publication’s use of AI tools and addresses inflation concerns with wage increases. While the general agreement was reached on Friday, final details were hammered out on the contract over the weekend, a NewsGuild of New York representative told The Hollywood Reporter. A ratification vote is set for later this month.
Heading: Union Chair’s Statement on the Contract Deal
“We are thrilled to have achieved a contract that reflects the incredible value New York magazine members bring to [parent company] Vox Media,” features writer and union unit chair Bridget Read said in a statement. “The compensation package and AI protections we achieved will go a long way in providing our members with some security during a time of upheaval in media.”
Heading: Next Steps and Comments from Vox Media and New York Magazine
THR has reached out to Vox Media and New York magazine for comment.
Heading: Alleviation of Tensions Over Wages, AI, and Healthcare Modifications
The pact is poised to alleviate tensions over wages, AI, and modifications to employees’ healthcare. On Jan. 30, the union — aligned with the NewsGuild of New York — delivered a message threatening a walkout to magazine leaders unless the two sides agreed to a “fair contract” spanning these issues and others. The labor group simultaneously shared a webpage where readers could commit to honoring a digital picket line (a.k.a. not clicking on or sharing New York stories) if a walkout occurred. Five thousand people, including two previous subjects of New York stories, Julia Fox and Anna Delvey, had signed the pledge by the time an agreement was reached.
Heading: Wage Boosts and Compensation in the New Contract
The new contract boosts all wage floors by nine to 10 percent and offers a general wage increase of 4.25 to 4.75 percent, depending on the position, upon ratification. That wage boost is retroactive to April 2024 and will be supplemented with a $1,500 ratification bonus if members greenlight the contract. In 2025 and 2026, members’ wages will increase by 3.25 and 2.75 percent, respectively.
Heading: Focus on AI Protections and Editorial Voice
After New York magazine’s parent company, Vox Media, signed a licensing agreement with OpenAI last May, the union narrowed in on securing related AI contract language for members. The tentative deal includes “a commitment [from magazine management] to transparency around its editorial use and to protecting members’ editorial voices and likenesses,” according to the union. The contract also contains language banning layoffs solely because of AI and offers expanded severance if layoffs occur partially due to AI, adding four weeks to the typical severance package.
Heading: Resolution of Healthcare Changes Through Contract Negotiations
The labor group sought to remedy changes made to staffers’ healthcare options that the union claimed were unlawful. In October, the labor group filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board over modifications that management made to employees’ plans “that dramatically increased out-of-pocket costs for union members (while saving the company money)” without negotiating with the union. That charge has been dropped as a result of the contract’s negotiations, which addressed healthcare issues.
Heading: Successful Negotiations for the Second Union Contract
Negotiations over the union’s second contract took place for nearly a year. The New York Magazine Union represents roughly 150 staffers at the publication including writers, editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, photo editors, designers, and assorted producers.
Heading: Union Vice Chair’s Statement on the Contract Deal
“On the same day we reached an agreement, our members finished putting together the closing touches on another juicy cover story about just how many people in New York live off of their parents,” features writer and union vice chair Reeves Wiedeman said in a statement. “We’re proud to reach a deal that helps create a workplace where the most talented people, no matter their circumstances, are able to build careers at New York magazine.”
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