More than 60 employees at Condé Nast’s technology magazine are fighting for a first contract. They’re asking the public to honor their digital picket line.
The staff of Wired, the science and technology magazine owned by Condé Nast, announced Thursday that over 97% of workers are prepared to strike on Amazon Prime Days July 12-13 if the company refuses to bargain in good faith and fails to reach an agreement with the union before then.
Members of the Wired Union are asking the public to honor the digital picket line: Don’t visit the site, read WIRED stories, or click on WIRED links on those online shopping days, which typically generate a high number of clicks and lots of revenue for the company. In the meantime, you can show your support by signing their pledge.
WIRED workers are fighting for a first contract more than two years after they formed WIRED Union, which is part of The NewsGuild of New York.
They’re seeking equitable pay for all employees and a strong rights participation clause, which would ensure they are fairly compensated when their work is optioned for a book or movie deal. The company has refused to even discuss the subject.
“The fact that management has been so unwilling to move on salary minimums that will attract both new and diverse talent shows where their real priorities are, says Alan Henry, senior editor of service. “Management has a short-sighted view of WIRED’s success if they don’t realize a strong contract where workers feel adequately compensated and protected will make the workplace and publication better.”
Union members are also fighting for several product reviewers to be recognized as part of the unit, citing the vital work they do to keep the site running, especially on Prime Days. “All of us, including our peers on the reviews team who write the journalism that keeps the site running and who management refuses to recognize as in the union, are WIRED,” says Henry.
“Condé Nast is a storied media company with a commitment to powerful journalism. But while it projects an image of financial strength and modern values to the broader media, it continues to pay some of its hardest workers pitifully low salaries and has refused to adapt to changes in publishing that would grant its storytellers some intellectual property rights,” says Senior Writer Lauren Goode. “These moves are short-sighted, and we hope that this call to action helps call attention to that fact.”
Workers at WIRED announced the formation of their union in April 2020, joining employees of The New Yorker, Ars Technica and Pitchfork in the ranks of unionized Condé Nast publications. Since then, around 500 more workers at Condé Nast, including brands Vogue, GQ, Allure, and Bon Appétit have also unionized with the NewsGuild of New York as Condé Nast Union.
“For over two decades, WIRED journalists have published award-winning work on technology, science, culture, and presented new ways to think about our future,” says Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “And now these workers are showing management at WIRED and at Condé Nast that if company reps don’t meet their demands and bargain in good faith, then there are going to be a lot more strikes in their future.”