WSJ union authorizes strike vote

Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees board authorized a strike vote to be conducted by its members working at Dow Jones & Co.

The member referendum will be the first such vote in the union’s 87-year history.

“Today, the IAPE Board of Directors responded to a call for action,” said Local 1096 President Jodi Green. “That call came from our members, who have expressed their displeasure with Dow Jones management’s contract proposals. Our members demand stronger collective action to protest the company’s contract offer.”

IAPE represents more than 1,400 employees at Dow Jones locations across the United States and Canada — including newsroom, technology, sales and administration staff at The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, Factiva and other Dow Jones products.

The union has been in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement since June 13, 2023. The contract between the union and the company expired on April 1, 2024, following a series of negotiated extensions.

Under the union’s bylaws, IAPE board authorization to call a membership strike vote is the first step in a three-stage process before members are permitted to walk off the job. A majority of IAPE members must vote in favor of strike action, and the executive board of CWA must approve a strike against Dow Jones.

The union plans to schedule a secret-ballot membership vote as quickly as possible. In the meantime, contract negotiations between IAPE representatives and Dow Jones management will continue.

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