Bloomberg Industry union: We want respect

The union that represents editorial staffers at Bloomberg Industry Group sent issued the following in advance of beginning to negotiate a new contract:

The Guild at INDG believes its members should share in the profits they have generated for Bloomberg INDG over the past three years. The employees here are the most important and vital resource for management to invest in. Our members face a time of skyrocketing prices for everything from groceries, gas, to childcare. Members that have refinanced their student loans or have other debt with variable interest have been balancing those costs with persistent high interest rates.

And with the United States’ trade policy expected to drive up prices on everyday goods, our members worry how far their earnings will go over the next three years.

We present substantive provisions in this proposal regarding telework that can be summed up in one word: respect. Simply put, the company’s return to office policy has sacrificed productivity for the sake of “synergy” and “workplace culture.” Over the past several months, the company’s implementation of a four-day, in-office requirement has been so rigid that our members have had to take time off, in instances where they could have still worked, solely because they weren’t able to report to the office that day. Cancer patients and individuals with disabilities have had to provide excessive documentation and endure weeks-long processes to get approved for remote work.

Managers have instructed staff to seek medical accommodations for using the bathroom too often, staff say they don’t want to work at the tables outside because they’re worried about whether they will be accused of not being in the office.

Management has found that it’s more advantageous to leave department leaders in the dark and lead its staff in circles when looking for the lightswitch. “Managers manage time, not HR,” is the response we get from leadership. “Ask HR” is the response we get from our managers.

If we’re on the path to become a billion-dollar corporation, let’s treat our employees like one. We believe the common-sense changes proposed in the new contract will boost productivity, care for all employees — Guild-covered or not — and foster a workplace of respect. We look forward to these talks and hope to come to an amicable resolution.