WALKOUT AVERTED Unionized New York Magazine staff reach contract deal with magazine, Vox Media

NEW YORK – Unionized editorial staff at New York Magazine have reached a tentative agreement with the magazine and parent company Vox Media that includes double digit wage increases over the life of the contract, addresses serious health care and living costs, and protects members’ rights if the company decides to use artificial intelligence. The tentative agreement allows the company to avert a comprehensive work stoppage by members if a deal was not reached.

New York Magazine Union members will vote to ratify the deal later this month. 

“We are thrilled to have achieved a contract that reflects the incredible value New York Magazine members bring to Vox Media,” Features Writer and Unit Chair Bridget Read said. “The compensation package and AI protections we achieved will go a long way in providing our members with some security during a time of upheaval in media.” 

“On the same day we reached an agreement, our members finished putting together the closing touches on another juicy cover story about just how many people in New York live off of their parents,” Vice Chair Reeves Wiedeman, also a features writer, said. “We’re proud to reach a deal that helps create a workplace where the most talented people, no matter their circumstances, are able to build careers at New York magazine.”  

Highlights of the three-year deal:

Wages

• Minimum salaries across all job positions will increase between 9 and 10% 
• General wage increases between 4.25% and 4.75% upon ratification retroactive to April 2024.
• General wage increases of between 3.25% and 2.75% for 2025 and 2026
• A $1500 ratification bonus for every member

AI 

• Limits around the company’s use of AI technology, including a commitment to transparency around its editorial use and to protecting members’ editorial voices and likenesses
• A provision that prevents layoffs due solely to the use of AI
• Enhanced severance of an additional 4 weeks in the case of layoffs due in part to AI

The union had notified management on Jan. 30 that 97% of the union’s members signed onto a pledge to walk off the job if both sides failed to reach a contract deal. More than 5,000 supporters also signed a pledge to honor any digital picket line should New York Magazine Union walk out. Plans were in the works to stage a walkout but the tentative agreement put an end to those plans. 

"Guild members fought for new contract terms that reflect their commitment to building a newsroom that recognizes the value they bring to New York Magazine and Vox Media,“ said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York. “Our New York Magazine Union members would not accept anything less than a fair contract that builds on the success of prior agreements and improves workplace terms and conditions. This contract more than achieves that goal.”