A Letter From The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and Ars Technica Unions

March 26, 2021

The members of the New Yorker Union, Pitchfork Union, and Ars Technica Union have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, with 98% support across our three bargaining units. If and when our bargaining committees call for it, we will walk off the job to demand the contracts we deserve.

Conde Nast has long profited off the exploitation of its workers, but that exploitation ends now. We demand Fair and equitable pay-including wage minimums that are in line with industry standards, a humane salary floor for current and future positions, and regular annual increases that keep pace with the ever-rising cost of living. We demand clear paths for professional development, concrete commitments co diversity and inclusion, and a safe and respectful workplace free of harassment. We demand that the company respect our editorial integrity and our need for work-life balance. We demand a future at Conde Nast that works for all of us, not just those at the top.

We are now in our third year of bargaining with Conde Nast, and the company has not negotiated in good faith. From Day One, management has delayed and undermined the bargaining process by refusing to respond to proposals and information requests for months at a time (or at all), and showing up to our sessions late and unprepared. When they do respond to our proposals, they almost always seek to maintain unilateral control and, at best, memorialize the status quo. In some cases, management's proposals would make the terms and conditions of our employment even worse; currently, they are proposing annual wage increases so small that salaries would not even keep up with the rate of inflation.

As we have said many times at the bargaining table, if the status quo were working, we would not have unionized in the first place. Many of our members have already been egregiously underpaid and exploited for years -- some for decades. We have lost far too many talented colleagues to competitors because of management's failure to support and value their employees. We will not contribute to the lowering of standards in the media industry, and we are disappointed that our managers are so committed to this race to the bottom. We deserve better.

This strike-authorization vote is meant to remind Conde Nast of the value of our labor, and to demonstrate our members' solidarity in fighting for a fair contract. We take pride in what we do, and many of us have often accepted subpar wages and conditions in order to be a part of publications we care deeply about. Bur this reality is not just or sustainable. It is time for Conde Nast to show that it understands how seriously we rake this fight, and to begin working with--rather than against us--to reach agreement on fair contracts that will build a stronger, more sustainable future for this company and the people who make it run.