Unionized staffers at Hearst Magazines are taking to the streets for half-day walkouts today after a month of contract negotiations with management has failed to reach a deal. The WGA East-repped union has been working without a contract since Saturday, and Wednesday is the last scheduled day of bargaining talks.
The Hearst Magazine Union’s walkouts are at Hearst Tower in Manhattan and Hearst offices in Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Alabama.
“The members of the Hearst Magazines Union are walking off the job today because our contract has expired and management is still refusing to address all of our concerns/demands,” the union’s bargaining committee said in a statement. “We are returning unconditionally to work, and to the bargaining table, on Wednesday, February 4. We believe a fair deal for all union members is not just possible but imperative.”
The walkouts come after last week’s strike pledge that was supported by 85% of union staffers, WGAE said.
This is the second bargaining cycle for Hearst Magazines, whose staffers voted to unionize during the Covid lockdown in 2020. They also staged walkouts during the contentious 2023 contract talks, which ultimately resulted in what was termed a “landmark” first contract deal with Hearst Magazine Media that was ratified that spring.
In November 2024, WGA East took aim at Hearst management after a round of layoffs, calling the company “consistently anti-union.”
“Hearst management forced their staff to escalate to today’s walkout when they failed to meet the members’ very reasonable demands before their current contract expired,” said Sara David, VP Online Media for the Writers Guild of America East. “The Writers Guild and our allies are ready to support the Hearst Union should they need to strike to get a deal that fully addresses their concerns.”
Hearst is home to 25 brands in the U.S. including Elle, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town & Country.
