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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