Overwhelming Majority of NYGuild Members Support A Stronger Union with First Dues Increase in 88 years

NEW YORK -- In an historic referendum, an overwhelming majority of The NewsGuild of New York members voted 1246-559 in support of a  #GuildStrong campaign that strengthens their ability to fight for workers rights across the media industry. This is the first dues increase in the NYGuild’s 88-year history. 

“This referendum was about more than just our finances. It was about our vision for building a fighting, member-led union,” said Susan DeCarava, President of the News Guild of New York. “The referendum prompted many welcome discussions about how we can work together to make our union more transparent, responsive, effective and sustainable, and in the coming months, we will work on turning those discussions into action. Our power is rooted in our unity and we can now move forward together on building a stronger union.”

"I'm proud to be a guild member today,” said Amanda Hess, Second Vice President of the News Guild of New York and a member of the New York Times Unit Council. “I'm so inspired by the work my fellow members are doing to improve their workplaces and our industry, and I'm excited for all of us to keep working together to build our collective power with the resources we all need and deserve." 

The referendum sought approval for a temporary working dues increase for three years and a permanent elimination of the dues cap, which was set at $140,140. Ballots were sent by mail to members on July 16, with ballots due Aug. 16. The dues increase will go into effect on Sept 15, 2021.

The referendum follows a string of recent organizing and bargaining successes, including contract settlements at The New Yorker, Pitchfork, Ars Technica, and Quartz; a victory at NBCUniversal over the company’s decision to improperly roll back salaries;  the elimination of NDAs at The Daily Beast; a three-year contract at Scholastic with retroactive pay raises; and a new contract at Foreign Policy that includes wage increases and new DEI language. In addition, workers at Insider, The Atlantic, Forbes and Gannett (Hudson Valley News Guild and The Atlantic Dot) all successfully formed unions at their workplaces with The NewsGuild of New York.

Learn more: nyguild.org

ABOUT THE NEWSGUILD OF NEW YORK

The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of the Communications Workers of America, is a labor union representing nearly 4,000 media professionals and other employees at New York area news organizations, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Thomson Reuters, The Nation, BuzzFeed News, TIME, PEOPLE, Wirecutter, and The Daily Beast. The NewsGuild of New York advocates for journalists to have a voice in the newsroom, for press freedom, for inclusive and diverse workplaces, and for just cause, no exceptions, for all media professionals.