The Communications Workers of America Executive Board Votes to Support NYGuild Condé Nast Strike

New York -- The Executive Board of the Communications Workers of America, the parent union of The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 TNG, unanimously voted to support a strike, if necessary, at Guild-represented Condé Nast publications The New Yorker, Ars Technica, and Pitchfork. 

The CWA vote of support follows the three publications’ historic internal strike authorization, in which  more than 93% of Guild-represented workers at Condé participated. The strike authorization came after years of slow and contentious negotiations for first contracts at each of the publications. The workers at The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and Ars Technica are unwavering in their commitment to bringing transparency, equity, and accountability to their workplaces and to Condé Nast at large.

“The CWA and the NewsGuild have pledged their support to our members and colleagues working at Conde Nast, who are seeking the foundational right of all unions — a strong contract,” said Jon Schleuss, who is president of the NewsGuild-CWA and a vice president of CWA. “We proudly stand with our Guild members at The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and Ars Technica and call on company management to come to the table with the intent to finalize this agreement.” 

Despite Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch announcing earlier this year that he anticipates revenue will grow by “double-digit percentages” in 2021, management continues to press for substandard wages. Guild members have testified that they sometimes have to choose between groceries and rent under the current pay structure. Management has also repeatedly attempted to enshrine deep pay disparities by proposing they retain unilateral control over members’ workplace conditions. 

“Conde Nast’s evasive, bad faith approach to negotiations at The New Yorker, Ars and Pitchfork sends a clear message that management is more interested in undermining workers’ efforts to improve their respective publications than in promoting real, meaningful change,” said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York. 

“We call on Condé to do better. Come to the table ready to bargain in good faith with a commitment to finish these contracts collaboratively and quickly. The NewsGuild and the CWA have our members’ backs and, collectively, we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract.”