Contact: Jen Sheehan, jen@nyguild.org
NEW YORK – Unionized editorial workers at LexisNexis-owned Law360 have been hard at work in marathon bargaining with Law360 and LexisNexis management, but significant barriers remain, prompting the union to schedule an open-ended strike to begin just after midnight Tuesday.
Management, led by LexisNexis Vice President Teresa Harmon, continues to demand that union members accept paltry raises that fail to seriously address rising costs of living and dramatically increased costs for healthcare. Throughout bargaining management has repeatedly dismissed the impact of inflation on members as irrelevant to negotiations about wages. All while refusing to agree to the union’s reasonable demands that the company remedy its March 2024 unlawful layoff of 26 union-represented workers.
In addition, the union presented a health insurance plan alternative that would save both union members and management significant amounts of money. Despite hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings, management immediately objected to the plan on the basis that implementing the plan would be “too difficult” and they would no longer control its terms — an argument that rings hollow given that their current level of control over insurance rates has resulted in unprecedented cost increases for both sides.
ADD YOUR NAME: Support Law360 Union Journalists On Strike
The Law360 Union issued a vote of no confidence in Harmon earlier this year for her failed leadership.
Union members will begin picketing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m EST and holding a rally at 1 p.m. Tuesday outside Law360/LexisNexis headquarters at 230 Park Ave., New York City. The union will also be picketing online, asking subscribers of Law360 to not click on or open any digital content during the strike.
Contract negotiations between the union, which represents about 250 workers, and LexisNexis began on Nov. 17, 2022. The union’s contract expired on Dec. 31, 2022.
“Law360’s value as a news operation and as a company comes directly from our work,” said Hailey Konnath, a reporter for Law360 and unit chair for the union. “Management wants us to agree to essentially earning less. It’s unacceptable and makes clear that management doesn’t really want to reach a deal on this contract. We are ready to walk.”
The Law360 Union, which is represented by The NewsGuild of New York, announced on Aug. 19 that it was prepared to go out on an unfair labor practice, or ULP, strike in September unless management agrees to a fair contract agreement and remedies its unlawful actions.
The September strike deadline comes ahead of one of the busiest times for Law360 staff: the start of the U.S. Supreme Court session in October.
The company’s unlawful tactics, including mid-contract layoffs and unilateral changes to healthcare plans, prompted the union to file ULP charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
Law360 management laid off 10% of its Guild-represented newsroom staff in violation of U.S. labor law, hours after LexisNexis officials congratulated themselves on earning record revenue in 2023. The NYGuild is challenging the March layoffs at the National Labor Relations Board as a violation of the company’s obligation to maintain the status quo of the expired collective bargaining agreement.
Negotiations over the unlawful layoffs are going on as part of bargaining and while there’s been some progress, no agreement has been made.
“Our members work hard to bring Law360 subscribers timely and insightful legal journalism, and the company has benefited from that work with record profits,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “Management digging in on the notion that workers need to agree to what is effectively a pay cut is absurd and defies logic. I hope they come to their senses and work with us to reach a deal we can ratify. But if they don’t, we’ve made clear what comes next.”
Follow the latest from Law360 Union at: twitter.com/law360union
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ABOUT THE NEWSGUILD OF NEW YORK
The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of the Communications Workers of America, is a labor union representing nearly 6,000 media professionals and other employees at New York area news organizations, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, ProPublica, Thomson Reuters, The Nation, The New York Daily News, TIME, PEOPLE, Wirecutter, and The Daily Beast. The NewsGuild of New York advocates for journalists to have a voice in the newsroom, for press freedom, for inclusive and diverse workplaces, and for just cause, no exceptions, for all media professionals.