At least five magazines have been titled Vanity Fair. The current Vanity Fair is an American monthly magazine covering politics, fashion, and pop culture. Condé Nast Publications publish it.
In January 2024, more than 400 Condé Nast employees walked off the job in a historic 24-hour work stoppage, protesting the company’s plan to lay off workers.
Until January, an uneasy conflict existed. According to sources, as contract negotiations went on, Condé Nast began shifting employees on the planned layoff list out of their prior jobs and into a centralized team working across the brands. In this article, we will learn more about the layoffs at Vanity Fair.
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Condé Nast employees’ strike to protest layoffs
On January 23, 2024, 400 employees of Condé Nast, the parent company of Vanity Fair, Vogue, and GQ, walked out. The NewsGuild of New York called for a daylong strike on the day of the Academy Awards nominations. This was to protest “unlawful conduct of layoff talks and bad-faith bargaining.”
The protest comes after Condé Nast declared on November 1 that it would reduce 5% of its workers. The firm then revised its plans, indicating that it would lay off 94 unionized employees, which is around 20% of the Condé Nast Union.
The union’s bargaining team replied to management’s plan with fewer layoffs, more outstanding severance, and a moratorium on cuts. The publisher’s last offer was made earlier in January. They set the total number of cuts at 94. According to the union, it reduced the planned severance by nearly half.
The vice chair of Conde Nast Union’s CNE unit, Ben Dewey, said in a statement:
“Today results from the last three months of fighting for our coworkers on the company’s layoff list.” “Our 24-hour walkout is about standing strongly behind our coworkers. We are making it obvious to Conde Nast management that we will not accept disrespect at the bargaining table over these layoffs. It’s time to begin negotiating in good faith with us.”
On behalf of Condé Nast Union, the NewsGuild of New York has filed an unfair labor practice claim, citing regressive bargaining.
A work stoppage like this is the latest to affect major news businesses. In recent months, the employees at the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post have been walking out in advance of layoffs and contract disputes.
Condé Nast intends to lay off more employees
On March 20, 2024 (Wednesday), approximately 35 Condé Union members marched to executives’ offices. They did this to protest extra layoffs they claimed were threatened during labor discussions on March 19 (Tuesday). A bargaining session for the first contract happened on Tuesday. The company planned to add five more employees to its pre-existing list who would be laid off.
The company also warned that more could be added. The Condé Union also claims that the business did not present any counter proposals to union requests from the previous week. This includes remote work and paid time off during Tuesday’s Zoom conference, which management allegedly ended abruptly.
On Tuesday, Condé Nast filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Condé Union’s umbrella organization. The company’s reasons include the following:
“The union has not taken our workforce reduction proposal seriously in four months of negotiation. In December, the union made only one proposal about layoffs. We asked for a minimum of seven months’ severance and insurance safety for affected employees. Also, only 28 cuts were requested, as opposed to the original 94.”
“We also notified the union that we would start proposing cost-saving measures. This is to cover the cost of ongoing salary carrying costs that are not in our 2024 budget,” the memo said. “Despite our best attempts to avoid it, the union’s delay has left us with no choice but to seek cost cuts. Today, we informed the union that we will add more duties to the planned reduction list.”
In a statement, NewsGuild of New York president Susan DeCarava described the claim as
“a clear attempt to force us into agreeing to their layoff plans.” She continued, “As we have throughout talks, we are ready to bargain when management wants to stop the show and bargain in good faith.”
Employees on the layoff list have been informed that they will be reassigned to a group separate from their previous brands. According to a source at the time, this group is known as the “Central Content Unit.”
Layoffs at Central Editorial Group
Approximately 100 employees have recently joined Condé Nast’s “central editorial group.” Their work has taken an unusual turn in recent months. Condé Nast began relocating employees on the proposed layoff list from their old jobs to a centralized team working across the brands as contract negotiations dragged on.
Nine more employees were added to the layoff list a few months later. Some mentioned employees then left or were promoted, so they are no longer on the list. According to a NewsGuild official, 95 have been installed in the centralized group.
It was awkward enough for people on the list to stay with the organization for months. A few members of the centralized group spoke with THR about their suspension. Some describe this as a “rubber room” as the union and management continue negotiating.
Depending on what the union negotiates, some people are more harmful or have given up. But others think they might recover their previous positions. It’s still being determined how long the situation could last.
Conclusion
Following their September 2022 union vote and the layoff of at least 100 coworkers, the writers—The News Guild of New York’s Conde Nast unit members—bargained for months for their first contract. Subsequently, they marched to the streets to speak up for themselves.
A supermajority of the unit’s members, including all of its premium magazines, agreed to walk out, so management finally got down to serious bargaining. At 3 a.m. on May 6, the day of the gala, the two parties reached their first contract.
