Hundreds of Hearst Workers Walkout and Rally To Demand A Fair First Union Contract

Hundreds of Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) members at Hearst Magazines walked off the job yesterday to demand management agree to a fair first union contract at their last scheduled day of negotiations on March 28.

The Hearst Union held walkouts and rallies at Hearst Tower in Manhattan, NY, and at Hearst offices in Easton, PA, Ann Arbor, MI, and Birmingham, AL. Union members were joined at rallies by allies from the AFL-CIO, the New York City Central Labor Council, the Lehigh Valley Central Labor Council, Michigan AFL-CIO, and Central Alabama Labor Federation, among other unions, activists, and supporters. The New York walkout and rally was livestreamed on Instagram, and an archived video can be found here. Photos from the various walkouts and rallies can be found here.

After more than two years of negotiations, the Hearst Union is fighting to close out a collective bargaining agreement with management that includes fair salary minimums, fair wage increases, better severance, and strong anti-harassment protections, among other key issues. The unit is demanding the Company cease committing unfair labor practices and come to the bargaining table with proposals for fair wages and terms.

Zach Lennon-Simon (Delish) from Heart’s New York office said, “For two years Hearst has stalled, low balled, and refused to bargain with us. Today we’re walking out because we’d like to remind Hearst what they are without our labor; nothing but a name.” Read more here!