Three Things We Won For Our Contract, And Three Things We’re Still Fighting For

A new year brings possibility and hope. For our union, the turn of the calendar marks one year since we began bargaining with BuzzFeed for a new contract, and a determination to get this done in 2021.

During our first two bargaining sessions this month, we secured a few strong tentative agreements, but we’re still fighting on some really important issues. Here are the big things you need to know:

What we’re celebrating:

NO MORE NDAS: The company has finally agreed that they will never solicit or pay employees to sign non-disclosure agreements related to harassment or discrimination claims, not only for union employees, but for ALL of BuzzFeed. This proposal helps set an industry standard, and aligns our company policy with our mission, as reporters, to uncover the truth.

EDITORIAL INTEGRITY: This was a big win for and by our union members, who gave passionate testimony at the bargaining table about why these protections are so important. We’ve reached a tentative agreement securing the right for all union employees to revoke their byline, to turn down assignments that would involve advertiser input, and to be informed whether any story they’re working on is part of a sponsorship. We’ve also formally banned the practice of catch-and-kill at BuzzFeed News. Most importantly, our contract will make it clear that editorial decisions will be made by editorial leadership, and no one else.

PTO PAYOUT: The company recently announced that vacation and comp days will be paid out to all employees when they leave the company, and we confirmed that this new change will also apply to union members. This is something our members have been fighting for since before we were at the bargaining table, and we’re so glad that the company finally, as they put it,  “heard the feedback that [they] received over the years.” We hope they bring that same energy to the bargaining table!

What we’re fighting for:

A REASONABLE REMOTE WORK POLICY: Management made a very restrictive proposal for remote work, which would require employees to submit 24-hour advance notice any time they want to work from home, and get management approval if they want to work from home more than one day a week. They also want to be able to reduce an employee’s salary if they relocate or transition to remote work.

The company’s approach is both cynical and burdensome to employees. BuzzFeed’s flexible pre-pandemic WFH practice worked well for both the company and its employees, and we want to enshrine that in our contract. Management’s resistance is particularly frustrating given that we are ALL currently — and successfully — working from home. We’ll keep pushing for a policy that actually reflects our work culture.

DIVERSE HIRING: We want to ensure that as our newsroom grows, it draws on a pipeline of people from a diversity of backgrounds. To that end, we’ve proposed that, for jobs open to external candidates, at least 50% of people who make it beyond the initial interview stage should be from underrepresented groups.

Several other media outlets have already committed to similar 50% goals. But management has instead countered with a requirement of three people — no percentage, just three, period. That might be acceptable if a hiring pool is five people, but what if there are 50? That won’t accomplish the goal that management claims to share, which is to have a staff that’s representative of the people that we report on and report to.

DIGITAL PRIVACY: Management’s latest counter to our proposal on employee privacy asks for a level of access not just to members’ work computers but also their personal electronic devices and accounts that we believe would seriously jeopardize both our personal and professional privacy.

In December, we gave management our latest counter on the issue, reiterating our proposal that the company should not monitor unit members' non-work activities and, should inform the employee if they are geographically tracking us on company-owned devices for any reason, and absolutely should not — for the good of everyone involved — have the right to search employee’s personal devices or accounts.

As of our last session, we’ve also put our first economic proposals on the table, including severance, education & loan assistance, and unpaid leave. More updates to come here!

Thank you everyone for your solidarity and support!
The BuzzFeed News Union