Three-year agreements for journalists and business and technology workers boost wages by an average of 17%; raise salary floors by up to 55%; and feature strong new job-security measures, including “just cause.”
NEW YORK – Unionized staff at The Atlantic represented by The NewsGuild of New York have reached a tentative agreement with the magazine on three-year contracts for editorial as well as business and technology workers. The deal, if ratified by members, will raise salary floors for the lowest-paid by up to 55%, lift wages by an average of 17% over the life of the contract, and provide important job security as well as guardrails on the use of AI.
The contracts would be the first for the Atlantic Union’s two units: Editorial, representing writers, editors, producers, copy editors, fact-checkers, and art staff, which organized in ’21; and Business & Technology, which organized in ’22. The units jointly bargained, and members from both will hold ratification votes for their contracts in the coming weeks.
“Since the start of negotiations, our bargaining committee has insisted that the workers who have made The Atlantic so successful deserve fair compensation and strong protections,” said staff writer David A. Graham, a member of the bargaining committee. “This deal does that, lifting up wages for our lowest-paid members across both units and providing new job-security measures for all. I could not be more proud of how our units have demanded and won a better workplace.”
Among the highlights of the tentative agreements:
Wages, salaries
- Substantial wage increases for unit members every year of the contract, averaging 17% over the contract.
- $66,000 salary floor for the Business and Technology Unit (up from $42,500); $69,000 floor for Edit (up from $55,000)
- Fair compensation for staffers whose work is optioned for movie, TV, or other outside productions
Job security, AI
- Robust “just cause” job-security protections for both units
- Editorial Unit on AI: Members will have oversight and limits on any use of AI to perform editorial work. There will also be transparency and disclosure standards and prohibitions on deepfakes.
- An additional 4 weeks of severance in the event of AI-related layoffs in either unit
- Clear hiring procedures and mechanisms for ensuring newsroom diversity of all varieties
Remote/hybrid work protections:
- No four-day RTO until 2026, and a clear process for becoming a remote or hybrid worker
This contract deal ends more than two years of bargaining with The Atlantic, during a pivotal time for the storied magazine. The Atlantic has enjoyed a year of accomplishments: becoming profitable again, winning its third consecutive National Magazine Award for General Excellence, expanding its newsroom, and returning to monthly publication of the print magazine.
“The success of The Atlantic as a whole, and especially the revival of the print edition, is due to the work of our members,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “This contract reflects the essential nature of our members’ work by creating a solid foundation for the future of The Atlantic with strong new job-security protections, higher wages, and hybrid-work protections.”