Following longest digital media strike in decades, Insider workers win $65k salary floor, significant healthcare cost reimbursements, no layoffs through end of 2023
NEW YORK – After a two-year fight for a first contract and a 13-day ULP strike – the longest digital media strike in history – members of Insider Union today announced that they have reached a tentative agreement with management, including settlement of a ULP related to management’s unilateral changing of workers’ health care coverage. The approximately 250 members of Insider Union are represented by The NewsGuild of New York.
The three-year agreement, which must be ratified by Guild members to go into effect, includes huge wins for unionized workers at Insider, including:
- A wage floor for union members of $65,000;
- Immediate raises of 3.5% for the vast majority of union members, followed by 3.75% raises in 2024 and 3% raises in 2025;
- Layoff moratorium through the end of the year for union members;
- Just cause, no exceptions, from day one of employment;
- A commitment of more than $400,000 in healthcare cost reimbursements over the course of the agreement.
“The deal we won today shows the power of solidarity,” said Dorian Barranco, a member of the Insider Union bargaining committee. “We came together and refused to settle for anything less than what we were worth, and our collective power won a contract that will resonate in newsrooms across the country. It’s never an easy decision to go on strike, but today’s victory proves it was well worth it. We’re excited to get back to work with our new wins in hand.”
In April 2021, more than 300 employees at Insider announced they had formed a union of workers across editorial, including reporters, editors, video producers, and designers. Insider Union was officially certified by the National Labor Relations Board the following June after workers voted 241-14 in favor of unionization.
In November 2022, the Guild filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Insider with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the company unlawfully changed workers’ health care coverage. In May 2023, the NLRB found merit with the union’s ULP.
In April, members of Insider Union held a one day walkout four days after the company proposed laying off 60 union members. As part of settling this contract, the Guild bargained for many of the initially proposed members to remain in their jobs, and members who were laid off received an enhanced severance package.
The union’s campaign culminated with an open-ended ULP strike that began on June 2. During the strike, the White House weighed in to support workers, saying in a statement that “all workers deserve a voice in the workplace, and journalists are no different.”
“Being on the picket line and experiencing the power and solidarity we have as workers is going to stick with me forever,” said Daisy Grant, an Insider Union member. “The $65,000 salary floor we won as a union will be life-changing for me, and I know it will be for all the early-career journalists that come after me too.”
Once ratified, the Insider Union agreement will be the latest in a wave of NewsGuild contracts that are resetting industry standards.
It comes on the heels of another major victory by The New York Times Guild, which ratified a groundbreaking new contract that also includes an immediate $65,000 salary floor. The 1,500 members of the Times Guild are also represented by The NewsGuild of New York.
“There is power in a union, and this tentative agreement with Insider reflects the power of this unionized newsroom. Insider management may have thought that their union-busting would break our solidarity, but instead, we’ve become stronger. We’re redefining what journalists can expect to win in the workplace. I am inspired by the courage of our members at Insider Union. They’ve demonstrated–quite literally on a picket line–that when workers come together and fight for their worth, anything is possible. Especially a strong contract!” said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York.
