Unionized editorial workers at LexisNexis-owned Law360 have reached a tentative five-year contract deal that, among many gains, lifts wages by an average of 12%, increases family leave to 14 weeks, includes an average bonus of $9,000 and ensures strong job protections on AI and more.
Guild members will decide whether or not to ratify the deal in a vote scheduled for September 23. The Law360 Union bargaining committee recommends that members ratify the deal.
“What this tentative agreement represents is our unwavering belief in our value as workers,” said Hailey Konnath, a reporter for Law360 and unit chair for the union. “We refused to accept anything less than a contract that recognized our worth. This past week on the picket line we saw – and felt – the power of solidarity not only among ourselves but from the entire labor community. It’s that power and strength that got us to this point and earned us this tentative deal.”
Highlights of the deal include:
Wages and compensation:
- Members will see at least a 7% raise within one month of ratification
- Average raise will be about 12% with the lowest paid members seeing a close to 21% raise
- In subsequent years of the contract, members will see 4% aggregate raises — split between discretionary (~2%) and General Wage Increases (2%)
- Bonuses of at least $6,000, with the average at $9,000
- By March, all current unit members will be making at least $67,000
- Each salary tier will see increases ranging from $5,400 to $10,000; and will increase again in 2027 by at least $2,500.
Healthcare:
- 15% cap on health-care costs
Job Security:
- Maintains ‘just cause’ protections, which provides due process in the workplace and requires management to have a just and fair reason to discipline an employee.
- The company must develop guidelines around the disclosure of AI-generated content, collaborate with workers on an AI Subcommittee to develop guidelines, and provide a 30-day notice for materially new or expanded uses of AI.
Benefits:
- 14 weeks of parental leave
- 5 sick days
- 4% retirement match after 3 years of employment
- Juneteenth as a paid holiday
- Remote work language that protects workers’ designation as either remote, hybrid or in-office and requires the company to bargain over any return-to-office mandates
Law360 Union is the fifth largest bargaining unit represented by The NewsGuild of New York. Contract negotiations between the union, which represents about 250 workers, and LexisNexis began on Nov. 17, 2022. The union’s first contract expired on Dec. 31, 2022.
“Anyone who visited our picket line heard us chant, ‘when we fight, we win,’” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “This contract deal is exactly what we mean. When we utilize our power to demand dignity and respect in our workplaces, that’s when we win. Our members decided to withhold their labor to force management to recognize the value of their work as a unionized newsroom. I am so proud of this union.”