A spokeswoman for The New Yorker, which has been led by the editor David Remnick since 1998, said the publication was eager to reach a fair agreement with the union.
“Like many other media outlets, The New Yorker strongly believes that its editorial standards should not be determined by arbitrators outside of The New Yorker, and we look forward to our continued discussions regarding just cause in the context of bargaining,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.
Those who had bought tickets for the virtual event with Ms. Warren and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez were notified Wednesday that they would receive refunds, the spokeswoman added.
In 2018, more than 100 New Yorker staff members — including fact checkers and copy editors, but not the magazine’s writers — announced that they were forming a union, part of a wave of organizing at media publications of all sizes. The New Yorker union was recognized by the magazine in July that year, but it has been unable to reach an agreement with management on a contract.
In an email sent to staff on Tuesday that was obtained by The Times, New Yorker leaders said the union’s action “undermines the hard work of your colleagues on the Festival.”
“We know that the staff ultimately wants to make this institution stronger, that a robust future for The New Yorker is in all of our interests,” the email from The New Yorker’s management bargaining committee said. “We ask that, whatever our differences, we take our common goals to heart as we bargain toward an agreement.”
Because of the pandemic, The New Yorker Festival is being held online for the first time in its 21-year history. It will run Monday to Oct. 11. Scheduled guests include Fiona Apple, Margaret Atwood, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Ethan Hawke, Jerry Seinfeld and Yo-Yo Ma.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/business/media/ocasio-cortez-warren-new-yorker-festival-union.html
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