NewsGuild Reaches Groundbreaking New Contract Settlement with The Nation

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015

Contact: CJ Macklin, 646-335-0718, cj.macklin@berlinrosen.com

NewsGuild Reaches Groundbreaking New Contract Settlement with The Nation

New Six-Year Contract will include 4-Month Paid Parental Leave for Employees, Regardless of Gender, 25% raises over 6 years

NEW YORK – The NewsGuild of New York announced on Wednesday a groundbreaking new six-year contract with The Nation. The contract will provide employees four months of paid parental leave regardless of gender, a nearly unheard of benefit in the news industry.

“Kudos to The Nation for taking such a progressive stance and working with us to trail blaze a path for other media organizations to follow. Journalists are parents too, and it’s important that they have the opportunity to be with family during this joyous period, without worrying about repercussions from their employer,” said Peter Szekely, president of The NewsGuild of New York.

NewsGuild members at The Nation voted overwhelmingly to ratify the agreement earlier today. In addition to paid parental leave, the contract will provide a 25 percent pay increase over the life of the agreement.

 

Editors and other Guild members at The Nation magazine voted to ratify a new contract on Dec. 16 that includes a groundbreaking four months of parental leave and raises pay by 25 percent over six years. Guild Rep Bob Daraio, left foreground, tallies the vote.  - See more at: http://www.nyguild.org/the-nation-news-details/items/release-guild-nation-contract-extends-parental-leave-to-4-months.html#sthash.E0UXSElq.dpuf

The labor agreement includes The Nation’s digital editors and comes as The NewsGuild is in the midst of an aggressive organizing effort to unionize digital reporters. Earlier this year, digital reporters at Al Jazeera America and The Guardian US both joined The NewsGuild in order to secure a greater say in the newsroom.

 

“The negotiating committee is very proud to have achieved a contract that not only protects our wages and healthcare, but also takes a major step forward in providing fully paid parental leave. Parental leave is a critical benefit for both women and men at our growing company, and will be offered on a gender-neutral basis,” said Emily Douglas, Senior Editor at The Nation. “Even better, the leave can be taken all at once, or in stages, throughout the first year after birth or adoption of a child. We are delighted that management shared our concern for new parents at The Nation, and with the agreement we reached.”

 

About NewsGuild of New York

The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of the Communications Workers of America, represents about 2,800 journalists and other employees, mostly at New York area-based news organizations, including The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, The Daily Beast and Al Jazeera America Digital. It was launched in 1934 by a group of journalists that included crusading columnist Heywood Broun.

 

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