Hundreds Of WGA East Members Stage Walkout At Hearst Magazines Media: “So Many Of Us Pour Our Heart And Soul Into These Brands”

deadline.com:

Hundreds of WGA East members employed at Hearst Magazines Media staged a half-day walkout and rally today to demand a fair contract.

The walkout at four of the company’s offices – in New York City, Easton, PA, Ann Arbor, MI, and Birmingham, AL – comes after more than two years of negotiations for a first-time contract.

The last scheduled day of negotiations is March 28. According to the guild, they’re seeking “fair wage increases, better severance and strong anti-harassment protections,” among other demands.

Watch some video of the walkout below. The guild represents some 500 of the publishing giant’s editorial, video, design and photo staff at more than 25 brands including Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Popular Mechanics, Car & Driver, Oprah Daily, Seventeen, Elle, Redbook and Woman’s Day. “We’re walking out today because more than two years is too long to wait for a fair union contract,” said Joey Capparella, a senior editor at Car and Driver. “We need to show Hearst management that our members care about higher salary minimums, better severance protections, diversity in our hiring practices, and the right to have a union representative present in meetings about harassment – all of which are items that management refuses to agree on.” Jennifer Leman, a senior features editor at Hearst’s Enthusiast Group, which includes Popular Mechanics, said: “So many of us pour our heart and soul into these brands – they don’t call us the Enthusiast Group for nothing – and we’re simply asking for that work to be fairly compensated.