The six-member editorial board of Talking Points Memo voted unanimously to ratify WGA East’s new three-year deal with the political news site.
“The Guild’s new collective bargaining agreement with Talking Points memo raises the bar for online media workers, setting standards that keep pace with the cost of living and the state of the industry,” said WGA East Executive Director Lowell Peterson. “It’s rewarding, especially for guild members who work at Talking Points Memo, to see how a company lives the values they represent online.”
Under the new contract, the minimum salary will rise from $52,000 to $65,000 in January 2025. Employees earning less than $75,000 receive a 3.5% increase each contract year, while those earning up to $100,000 receive a 3.25% annual increase. , and executives earning more than $100,000 receive a 3% annual salary increase.
The company also agreed to increase severance pay from six to eight weeks, with an additional two weeks a year after four years of service. Separation pay has been increased from 12 weeks to 18 weeks and parental leave from 10 weeks to 16 weeks.
According to the guild, the contract also includes new Comptime language, more vacation days, additional money for professional development, a higher mobile phone fee, improved health and safety standards, commitments to diversity and non-discrimination protections.
“We are pleased to have won the battle for a contract that protects and improves labor standards at Talking Points Memo,” the six-member negotiating force said in a statement. “After eight months of negotiations, we received significant concessions from management, including industry standard salary floors, salary policies that reflect the needs of our department, and annual increases that ensure members’ compensation keeps pace with inflation. This contract would not have been possible without the cohesion and teamwork of the entire TPM unit. We are proud of this contract, our unit and the WGAE that helped secure the contract conditions that all our members deserve.”
This is the guild’s second contract with the company. In 2019, the 11-strong editors unanimously signed their first union contract with the guild. A year earlier, they had signed a letter expressing their intention to join the Guild, and publisher Josh Marshall immediately recognized the WGA East as their negotiating agent.
In addition to Talking Points Media, the online media sector of the 7,000-member guild includes Huffpost, Salon, Slate, Vice, Vox Media, Hearst Magazines, MTV News, Committee to Protect Journalists, Gizmodo Media Group, BDG, Chalkbeat, Fast Company, FT Specialist, Future PLC, Jewish Currents, NowThis, Onion Inc., Refinery29, The Dodo, The Intercept and Thrillist.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
