The editorial staffs of Insider and Business Insider will strike at midnight Thursday if their union fails to reach an agreement with management.
The workers set the deadline in response to the company’s refusal to undo changes it made to their health care benefits and management’s slow response in contract negotiations.
Members are also demanding a fair resolution to a proposed layoff that would reduce the newsroom by 20 percent. The nearly 300 members of the Insider Union are represented by The NewsGuild of New York.
Company spokesman Mario Ruiz said, “We are actively engaged with our union team, which we have great respect for. Our goal remains the same: to agree to the best possible contract that works for the whole company.”
In November 2022, the Guild filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Insider with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the company unlawfully changed workers’ health care coverage. In May 2023, the NLRB found merit with the union’s charge and is issuing a complaint against the company.
Four days after management announced the proposed layoffs of 60 employees in April, members of the Insider Union held a one-day walkout, with more than 250 members walking off the job and dozens picketing the company’s Financial District headquarters in New York City.
“We have tried repeatedly to bargain in good faith with Insider management, only to have Insider’s leadership throw the union-busting playbook at us at every turn. We have reached our last straw. I’m proud to go on strike to demand a real seat at the table and a contract that values our labor. We will stand together until we get what we deserve,” said Insider Union steward Libby Torres, an entertainment reporter.
