If Conde Nast Can Illegally Fire Me, No Union Worker Is Safe

"Two days earlier, Condé announced the near-shuttering of Teen Vogue, which entailed letting go of eight people. My termination and that of three of my coworkers were clearly retaliatory, and if Condé can get away with this-and with President Donald Trump sabotaging the National Labor Relations Board, the company appears to be betting that it can-it will send a message to unions and employers across our industry that the foundations of labor law are collapsing."

"Since 1935, United States law has provided a clear set of rights to workers. The National Labor Relations Act-the legal scaffolding for the US labor movement-guarantees workers the right to organize unions and demonstrate in the workplace without retaliation from their bosses. The act also created the National Labor Relations Board to enforce labor law and hold both employers and unions accountable to their obligations under the act."

"My union, the NewsGuild of New York, which represents employees at Condé Nast as well as The New York Times, Reuters, and The Nation, is fighting the terminations. But the Trump administration and its anti-worker allies know that labor enforcement has been undermined and that, even under Democratic presidents, the NLRB's penalties are often not stiff enough to discourage bosses from abuse. This is emboldening employers to ignore their legal obligations and trample on the rights of workers."

Condé Nast terminated multiple Bon Appétit employees after a union effort to obtain answers about layoffs; terminations appear retaliatory for posing questions to a human-resources manager. Two days before the firings, Condé announced near-shuttering of Teen Vogue and eight layoffs. Since 1935 the National Labor Relations Act guarantees workers rights to organize and created the NLRB to enforce labor law. President Trump removed the NLRB chair, leaving the board without a quorum and weakening enforcement. The NewsGuild of New York is contesting the firings. Weakened enforcement and inadequate penalties are emboldening employers to flout labor obligations.

Read at The Nation