Feb. 22, 2018 – NewsGuild-CWA members at Jacobin, a Brooklyn-based online and print socialist magazine, overwhelmingly ratified a first contract between the company and The NewsGuild of New York.
Management voluntarily recognized the union in October 2016, after all the publication’s editorial employees signed cards seeking NewsGuild representation, and negotiations began in January 2017.
The three-year agreement provides Guild members with a 2 percent guaranteed wage increase in each year of the contract as well as a 2 percent signing bonus. Additionally, all staff will receive paid holidays.
Guild members, including part-time employees, will have the opportunity to opt in to a fully covered medical insurance plan offered by the United Furniture Workers, which also has been offered to management. The company will match up to 2 percent in contributions to a retirement fund for Guild members, including part-timers.
Jacobin staffers will be eligible for up to three months of parental leave and will see an increase in vacation days. They also will have the opportunity to take a month (or two months on a part-time schedule) for book leave.