Quartz Union Ratifies First Contract

Agreement Follows Months of Negotiations and Member Activism

New York— Members of the Quartz Union have ratified their first contract with management that sets a salary floor of $63,000 and includes a general wage increase, a ratification bonus, and just cause protections as well as a ban on non-disclosure agreements for situations involving harassment.

Diversity and inclusion provisions include a joint labor-management diversity and inclusion committee that meets regularly to make recommendations and review hiring data and a roadmap for ensuring transgender workers who transition have their appropriate pronouns used and that bylines and names are appropriately updated.

Additional protections include guaranteed severance in the event of layoffs.

“I'm proud of our union, and the bargaining committee in particular, for fighting for such a great contract that will benefit current and future Quartz employees,” said Quartz unit chair Alex Ossola.

“Congratulations to the members of the Quartz Union on their first agreement that includes industry-leading just cause protections and that continues the work of so many Guild units in setting important new standards for fair compensation and equity, diversity and inclusion,” said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York. “Our entire Guild is proud of the members who came together to have a say in their workplace and to help raise the standards for everyone in the industry.”

The agreement with Quartz is the latest in a series of organizing and contract wins. In June, members of the New Yorker, Pitchfork and Ars Technica unions announced they had averted a strike and reached an agreement in principle with Condé Nast. Several weeks later editorial employees at Insider overwhelmingly won an election at the National Labor Relations Board.

Follow: @nyguild | @qzunion

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.

July 19, 2021
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