President's Column | We've got a lot of irons in the fire

Dear members, 

As Summer is winding down, I wanted to share a moment of appreciation for all that we have accomplished together. Our Local has been busy!  Wherever you are — whether you’re gearing up for the start of the school year, catching the tail end of a vacation, or plotting the next big collective action with your Guild colleagues — I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect on all of our incredible work. In just a brief few months, we have: 

• Joined thousands of rank-and-file union members from across the country in Chicago for the largest Labor Notes conference to date. Our members led workshops, panel discussions and connected with union activists leading the way during one of the most exciting times in recent labor movement history;

• Settled strong, industry-leading contracts at BuzzFeed, WIRED and TIME Magazine;

• Are on the cusp of securing voluntary recognition of the Atlantic’s Business and Technology departments, who will be joining their unionized Editorial colleagues at The Atlantic; 

• Are pushing full steam ahead on a more aggressive nation-wide campaign at Gannett, with our NY Guild units leading the way in winning a standard setting contract; 

• In a landslide decision of 807 for and 176 against, 82% of NY guild members approved a referendum updating our local's bylaws. The referendum memorializes our union's long-standing practice of protecting the right of union members in newly organized shops to participate in democratic processes, including having a seat on the local's executive board and having the right to vote in local elections.

All of this (and much more) has been possible due to everyone's commitment to building a member-led, democratic union. 

I can’t wait to continue building on all of this momentum with a strike-ready Fall ahead of us and welcome new and committed leadership from all of our units after the upcoming elections. Guild members are seeing and experiencing the difference in their shops and in our Local and empowering each other to take courageous actions. 

We've got a lot of irons in the fire—and I'm looking forward to continuing to turn up the heat on the bosses to win the contracts we deserve.

In solidarity,