Hearst Magazines Union Hold Walkout After Contract Expires

Writers Guild of America East members at Hearst Magazines held a half-day walkout Tuesday after management failed to reach a deal on a second collective bargaining agreement with the 400-member bargaining unit. Their first contract expired on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

The Hearst Magazines Union held actions at Hearst Tower in Manhattan, and at Hearst offices in Los Angeles, CA, Easton, PA, Ann Arbor, MI and Birmingham, AL. Union members were joined at the Hearst Tower walkout by NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and CLC President Brendan Griffith.

The collective action came after a month of negotiations where management has proposed lower raises than members received in their last contract, increased in-office expectations without any guarantees of flexibility and offered absolutely no protections against AI.

The Hearst Magazines Union bargaining committee and contract action team said, “The members of the Hearst Magazines Union are walking off the job today because our contract has expired and management is still refusing to address all of our concerns/demands. We are returning unconditionally to work, and to the bargaining table, on Wednesday, February 4. We believe a fair deal for all Union members is not just possible, but imperative.”

Last week, the Guild announced that 85% of the Hearst Magazines Union bargaining unit signed a strike pledge. In addition, more than 2,200 union members and supporters of the Hearst Magazines Union wrote letters to management urging them to agree to a fair and just contract for WGAE members at Hearst before the January 31st contract expiration date. Read more from Deadline, and follow the Hearst Union on Instagram for updates.