HarperCollins staff on a one-day strike earlier this summer time. Staff have been in negotiations with the corporate since December 2021.
Spencer Platt/Getty Photographs
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Spencer Platt/Getty Photographs
HarperCollins staff on a one-day strike earlier this summer time. Staff have been in negotiations with the corporate since December 2021.
Spencer Platt/Getty Photographs
Union members at HarperCollins, one of many largest publishers within the nation, began an indefinite strike immediately. Staff and supporters gathered outdoors the corporate’s New York Metropolis places of work this morning to make their calls for.
The motion comes after a drawn out negotiation course of, with employees asking for larger wages, stronger commitments to diversifying employees and higher household go away. The roughly 250 unionized employees are represented by UAW 2110, and embody individuals in design, advertising and marketing, publicity and gross sales. These staff have been working and not using a contract since April.
“What we’re asking for is a good wage,” mentioned Stephanie Guerdan, affiliate editor at HarperCollins Kids’s Books and store steward on the HarperCollins Union.
Within the months main as much as the strike, the messaging from the employees has centered on meager pay whereas the corporate reported document income in 2021. In accordance with a latest assertion, the common wage for HarperCollins staff is $55,000. The minimal wage is $45,000.
“None of that’s an quantity you possibly can reside on in New York Metropolis,” mentioned Guerdan who added that the corporate is insisting that staff ought to be capable of commute into the Manhattan places of work at the least at some point every week.
HarperCollins, which is owned by Information Corp, has but to answer a request for remark.
The striking workers are asking authors, brokers and freelancers to withhold any new enterprise with the corporate – however to proceed to work on any present agreements or contracts.
A number of authors and booksellers have pledged their help for the strike on Twitter, together with Elise Bryant, who wrote “As a HarperCollins creator (and former trainer union member), I stand in solidarity with the @hcpunion. There are such a lot of sensible individuals who work so arduous to make our books occur, they usually deserve a good contract and residing wage.”
