Harper Collins and the union, which has been on strike for 66 business days — just under three calendar months — have reached a tentative agreement after mediation. “The tentative agreement includes increases to minimum salaries across levels throughout the term of the agreement, as well as a one time $1,500 lump sum bonus to be paid to bargaining unit employees following ratification,” a release states. Management and the union’s bargaining committee have agreed to the deal, which will be brought to a vote from the full union. If ratified, the contract will extend through the end of 2025.
Unions
Non-Union Harper Employees Discuss Workload, In-House Morale, and Solidarity
As the Harper Union marks its 64th business day picketing outside of the company’s financial district headquarters, many non-union employees inside the building feel similarly disheartened and burned out as they take on the jobs of striking colleagues in addition to their own hefty workloads, and process the news that 5 percent of their number will be laid off by the end of June. PL spoke to non-union (and non-executive) Harper employees in various book-facing departments, who asked to remain anonymous, about their experiences during the months of the strike. Employees report that they’ve been working late nights and on […]
Harper Collins and Union to Begin Mediation
Harper Collins and the employee union, which has been on strike for 56 working days, “have agreed to jointly engage an independent mediator in the hope of clearing a path forward,” the company said in a statement. They added: “We are hopeful that a mutually agreed upon mediator can help find the solutions that have eluded us so far. HarperCollins has had a union for 80 years, with a long history of successful and fair contract negotiations. The company has the exact same goal now, and is actively working to achieve it.” The company still also says that, “We entered […]
Harper Union Discusses Bargaining, Pay, Union Security
As the Harper Collins union prepares to rally outside News Corp headquarters today, marking their 50th day on strike, union chair and senior production editor Laura Harshberger updated Hell Gate and spoke about what it means to have union protections. While the union has demanded an increase in starting pay from $45,000 to $50,000, the company’s proposal was to raise entry-level salaries to $46,500, Harshberger said, which has not been disclosed previously. The union also seeks to even out the wage compression that happened for higher jobs titles when Harper increased its starting pay to $45,000 in 2021. Harshberger also […]
Harper Union to Host Second Rally
The Harper Collins Union will host another strike rally outside parent company News Corp’s offices at 1211 Avenue of Americas in Manhattan on January 18 at 12:30 PM. The action follows a rally on December 16, and will mark the 50th business day of work stoppage in the strike that began on November 10. Harper employees were required to return to the office this week under the company’s hybrid plan, which expects employees to work in-person two days per week. (Yesterday, ceo of News Corp Robert Thomson sent a memo to company staff urging them to return to the office.) […]
AALA Survey: Agents Express “Robust Support” for Harper Collins Strike
In a survey conducted by the Association of American Literary Agents about the Harper Collins strike, the 215 agents responding expressed what the organization calls “robust support” for the union. The AALA writes in a summary of the survey, “Among the supporters, 74.4% back the strike unequivocally while 4.7% are positive with caveats. Meanwhile 9.3% say they are neutral and 11.1% feel they need more information about the issue to form an opinion. Fewer than 1% of respondents say they do not support the strike at all.” The strike is now in its sixth week, with workers demanding a higher […]