NewsBeast Moves One Step Closer with Newspaper Guild of New York Pact
The ongoing merger between Newsweek and The Daily Beast moved one step closer to completion with the announcement by The Newspaper Guild of New York that it reached a framework agreement with Newsweek parent Harman Newsweek LLC.
Under terms of the pact, “a wide range” of editorial employees from The Daily Beast will be included under the existing collective bargaining agreement between the guild and Newsweek.
Daily Beast employees with pay below the minimums set by the existing CBA will be brought up to scale, and their seniority will be dovetailed with that of guild-represented Newsweek employees. And voluntary buyouts will be offered to certain classes of current Newsweek employees. From the announcement:
Under the framework agreement between the guild and Harman Newsweek LLC, non-supervisory editorial employees who produce The Daily Beast will be covered by the same contract that now covers many of Newsweek‘s reporters, editors, and other news employees, upon completion of the merger. The agreement was a necessary prelude to the completion of the merger of the two news organizations that was announced Dec. 6.
Newspaper Guild of New York president Bill O’Meara said in a statement:
Newsweek‘s guild members are proud to be part of this exciting new venture that will combine the journalistic resources of a venerable news magazine and a cutting-edge news Web site in an editorial workplace in which all employees will have a voice. We look forward to working with the operation’s highly respected new editor, Tina Brown, and her team from The Daily Beast as they join with the Newsweek staff to produce high-quality journalism in the digital age.
