Unionized employees at Scholastic have reached a tentative new contract agreement with management following their one-day work stoppage last month over wage-related grievances. The Scholastic Union, which represents employees of the company's magazine division, currently has 82 members, who are represented by the News Guild of New York.
The tentative agreement establishes a $65,000 salary floor for all current and future unionized Scholastic magazine employees, along with a series of general wage increases: 4.75% upon ratification, 3.5% on the first anniversary of ratification in 2024, and 3.5% on the second anniversary of ratification in 2025. Per the tentative agreement, all union members will also receive a $3,250 bonus upon ratification.
The new contract also includes what the union calls a "fair and transparent hybrid work agreement going forward for all members, securing our right to work remotely" as well as a "health and safety provision."
"We are still a unicorn of a shop with no management rights clause (a provision that has become common in modern contracts, allowing management more expansive power to make unilateral decisions without bargaining with us)," said the union in an Instagram post announcing the tentative agreement. "This is huge, and it means that our collective bargaining agreement is all the stronger."
In a recent Instagram post, the Scholastic Union alleged that its employees had not received a wage increase since 2021. The union's last collective bargaining contract with Scholastic expired in May 2022, and employees said that they had been bargaining with the company since last October. Since then, the Scholastic Union has organized two work stoppages at Scholastic's Soho headquarters: a "lunchout" held on June 12 and a one-day walkout on November 1, both of which were over wage-related grievances.
"We are very grateful for the power of collective bargaining, and for our tireless union leaders who helped us achieve this win," said the union. "Wishing our members a great holiday season, and thank you to everyone who has supported our fight for fair wages!"
