• by Melynda Fuller , July 11, 2018

At the beginning of June, the staff of The New Yorker voted to unionize, joining a growing list of media outlets that have done so. Full- and part-time staff members will become part of the NewsGuild of New York, which also represents The New York Times, The Associated Press and The Daily Beast, among others. 

In a story on New York magazine’s website in early June, when The New Yorker staff first announced plans to unionize, a print staffer was quoted as saying: “This would help David [Remnick] and Pam [McCarthy, the magazine’s deputy editor] so much to be able to say to Condé Nast, ‘There’s no way you could get this past the union.’ That’s ammunition for when they need it.” 

The New Yorker staff’s decision to unionize was commingled with bottom-line concerns. First was the desire to equalize pay and work to provide overtime to employees. Staffers have also said that part of the union’s formation is about protecting the publication from parent Condé Nast and any drastic changes it might want to make.

After all, a job in media isn't as stable as it once was, and the landscape of late is more hazardous than ever. The throng of unions forming across media outlets feels like an effort to protect employees in a precarious economy.

Management’s decision to recognize the union comes just as Gizmodo Media, another unionized outlet, saw 44 of its employees take buyouts amid the threat of layoffs. Those staffers will leave with 18 weeks of salary and health benefits -- a deal its union, the Gizmodo Media Group union (organized under Writers Guild of America East), saw as a win for employees. 

The Gizmodo Media Group union stated: “As we mourn the departure of dozens of our colleagues, due to corporate-mandated budget cuts, [we] would also like to spread the word about what’s possible with union power. In response to early reports that Univision wanted up to 30% of the staff at GMG involuntarily laid off, our union organized, mobilized members, and stood united to cut the number in half, to 15%.” 

With dwindling ad dollars and the consolidation of jobs, those outlets that once promised a path to a long career in journalism are becoming endangered. The rise of unions shows that management understands it’s the editors, writers, designers and other staffer who are the essential facets of the industry. 

According to CNN.com, in a memo to staff, editor in chief David Remnick stated: “After a series of productive conversations over several weeks between our representatives and the NewsGuild, we have agreed on a process to voluntarily recognize the New Yorker Union. We're in this together. The work we set out to do every day is more important than ever."

Despite the recent trend, the Wall Street Journal reports the percentage of unionized workers in the publishing industry fell from 5.2% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2017, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.