Law360 staff still without contract; union commits money

The executive committee of The NewsGuild of New York — the union that represents nearly 3,000 media and research professionals working in the New York City metro area — committed up to $250,000 to its ongoing contract campaign at Law360, the LexisNexis’-owned legal new site.

During the meeting Law360 unit chair Juan Carlos Rodriguez motioned to allocate the funds, stating, “We are determined to get a contract by the end of this year. This allocation would be a statement of support for our efforts to both our members and to management.”

The Guild’s executive Committee unanimously agreed. The money will be used for media buys, supplies, social media and other needs, a union spokesman said.

“I’m grateful for the moral and material support from my NewsGuild colleagues,” said Rodriguez in a statement. “Our members have been patient with management’s learning curve, but two years is too long for a fair deal. Enough is enough. Guild members — the editorial employees whose excellent work fuels Law360’s success — deserve fair compensation for the work they do. We stand together, united for a good contract.”

Law360 announced its organizing campaign in July 2016 when an overwhelming majority of staffers called on management to voluntarily recognize the union. In August 2016, a 92-percent majority of the editorial staff voted for Guild representation in an election after battling an intense anti-union campaign led by company management.

“Two years is far too long to negotiate a fair contract,” said Guild President Grant Glickson in a statement. “The members of Law360 have been and remain resilient during these exhaustive negotiations. I’m proud that our Guild is standing behind them as we fight for a long-overdue contract, and we’re committed to doing anything necessary to achieving a strong agreement.”