NewsGuild of NY–represented journalists at TIME win new contract that includes strong protections against job losses due to AI

NEW YORK – Unionized journalists at TIME have won a new three-year contract that includes strong guardrails on artificial intelligence, more flexible time off, and higher salary floors, among other benefits.  

TIME Union ratified the contract on May 11. The union represents just over 50 journalists at the legendary publication and is a bargaining unit of the NewsGuild of New York.   

"I'm immensely proud of our unit, which stood together during this contract campaign to fight for human-created journalism at a time when AI is being pushed into every part of society," says Andrew Chow, TIME Union's unit chair. "This contract gives us fair wages while allowing us to focus on top-level journalism without worrying about being replaced by AI." 

Highlights of the deal include:

AI 

• No layoffs due to AI; 
• 14-day notice period on new AI technology; 
• A new AI subcommittee to ensure union members have a voice in company-wide best practices;
• A requirement that AI tools be subject to TIME’s rigorous editorial standards

Wages

• Increase in salary floors across classifications, with the lowest raised from $63,000 to $70,000; 
• Annual wage increases of up to 3.75% per year

Benefits 

• Company 401K match of 4% remains in place, and can no longer be reduced; 
• Hourly overtime threshold lowered from 40 hours to 35, making it easier for hourly workers to receive overtime pay;
• Workers can roll over up to five days of vacation from a previous year;
• Workers can now implement a “holiday swap,” swapping up to two company-designated dates for other holidays to allow for differences in religious observance, cultural practice, etc. 

Job protections 

• The union retains Just Cause protections, which establishes due process for workers facing discipline.

The deal caps four months of bargaining, during which members held a collective lunch break, sent reply-all email actions, and conducted a “march on the boss” to deliver a strike pledge signed by 94% of the unit.

 “Our TIME Union members fought hard to protect their journalism with contract language that provides strong AI protections,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “Mandating guardrails around the ethical use of AI is essential to maintaining trust with TIME’s readership. We look forward to continuing to build a productive and transparent relationship with editorial management in support of our shared commitment to a free press and quality journalism.”