PROTEST INSIDE CONDE´ NAST Condé Union members demand answers, march on the boss after company executives threaten more layoffs during negotiations

NEW YORK –  After Tuesday’s contentious bargaining session in which Condé Nast management added five more people to their layoff list – and threatened to add even more  – Condé Union members have had enough and are protesting this afternoon inside the magazine giant’s headquarters at One World Trade Center.

Condé Union members will be gathering and heading to the executives’ suit at just before 2PM EST to demand answers on:

• Management’s decision to add five more people to their proposed layoff list and threaten  Guild members with further layoffs at Tuesday’s session. Just two weeks ago CEO Roger Lynch told Axios that the company had no plans for further layoffs. 
• Management’s claim that layoffs are necessary when Condé’s parent company, Advance stands to benefit from Reddit’s upcoming public offering to the tune of nearly $2 billion. 
• Management’s continued refusal to bargain in good faith 

Condé Union – which represents workers at brands such as Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Glamour, GQ, Self, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Condé Nast Entertainment – has been bargaining its first contract since certification in September 2022. As a result, layoffs must first be negotiated with the Guild and be part of a complete contract agreement. 

Condé Nast management announced on Nov. 1 its plans to lay off 5% of its workforce. The company then proposed laying off 94 Condé Union members, or 20% of the union.

Management has not moved from this number since then and on Tuesday announced that they would be adding five people to the list without . When faced with questions about how they are spending money in light of the additional layoffs, company reps abruptly left negotiations without providing any more details, including who they are adding to their list . Management also showed up to bargaining with no counters on contract proposals, despite the guild providing proposals last week on areas such as remote work, holidays, vacation/PTO, leaves, coverage and jurisdiction, hours and overtime, trans-healthcare benefits and internal freelance work . 

“What happened Tuesday was a gross display of management playing games with people’s livelihoods,” said Mark Alan Burger, social media manager for Vanity Fair.  “It’s simply unacceptable and we are showing that today,”

Both sides are scheduled to return to the bargaining table on Thursday. 

“Management apparently thinks it’s acceptable to waste our time at the bargaining table,” said Susan DeCarava, president of the NY Guild. “The solution to this problem is simple:  Instead of threats and manufactured drama, management needs to bargain in good faith and bring us real proposals that will allow us to reach a contract agreement that our members will ratify.”