Publisher Condé Nast made a last-minute deal with employees on Monday morning, stopping a strike before Monday night’s Met Gala in New York, according to union leaders.
“We are happy to say that we have a tentative agreement with @condenast on our first contract,” the Condé union said in a statement on X. “Our commitment to do ‘whatever it takes’ before the #metgala2024 motivated the company and our progress at the bargaining table accelerated.”
The union said it secured a $61,500 starting salary floor and total of $3.3 million in wage increases. The tentative agreement also includes expanded bereavement leave and two more weeks of family leave, bringing the total to 14.
The union represents more than 500 editorial, video, and production workers across all Condé Nast’s brands that haven’t already unionized, including publications it owns like Vogue, Bon Appétit, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest and GQ. The union was established in 2022 and has claimed the company provided low pay and demonstrates a lack of diversity and equity.
It comes months after the media conglomerate announced late last year it will cut hundreds of jobs due to recent digital advertising pressures and a decrease in social media traffic across the industry.
For those laid off, the union said Monday’s contract includes eight weeks severance, three months of COBRA coverage, or continuation of health coverage. Or in lieu of COBRA, laid off employees will receive a one-time lump sum payment, or additional $1,000 payment.
Two days before the deal, the union demanded Condé Nast management meet the union “at the table,” or “we’ll meet you at the Met,” in reference to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Benefit.
The media company is one of the top news outlets to cover the annual event, with a Condé Union bargaining committee member calling it “fashion’s big night” and likened it to the Super Bowl” in an interview with The Washington Post.
“Once the work stoppage entered the conversation, all of a sudden the company was like, ‘Okay, well we can give you a little more,’” bargaining committee member Alma Avalle told The Post.
The union has increased pressure on Condé Nast in recent months. In January, it staged a one-day walkout to coincide with the release of the Academy Award nominations, the Post reported, and in April, union members marched in front of the home of Condé global chief content officer Anna Wintour to post fliers reading, “Anna wears Prada, workers get nada.”
The Hill reached out to the company for further comment.
