What we’re fighting for

We're fighting for a voice in the newsroom so we can do our best work: the work we and others like us have done to make TIME magazine the venerable brand it has been for almost 100 years. We’ve been bargaining a contract—the first to cover all eligible TIME editorial employees in the U.S. after our digital and TIME for Kids employees unionized—for two years. We still have many outstanding issues on the table that are deeply important to us. We won’t stop fighting until we win the contract we deserve.

Fair pay

We report stories on inequality and wage inequity, but many of our members struggle to make ends meet. Our journalists are underpaid. Many of us were hired at TIME at exceptionally low salaries, and have been stuck with lagging pay while moving up the ladder. Some of our members still make as little as $55,000 while working in expensive cities like New York and Washington, D.C. We’re fighting for a fair contract that pays everyone what they’re worth.

Job security

In an unpredictable industry where layoffs are all too common, we’re fighting for a fair reduction-in-force procedure to ensure none of our members are left in the lurch. Our proposal would require TIME’s management to give us notice of any proposed layoffs; take volunteers first; and pay out fair severance that reflects our members’ contributions to the company.

Successorship

We’re fighting for a clause that would ensure our hard-fought contract will stay in place should Marc and Lynne Benioff ever sell the company. While we’re grateful for the Benioffs’ stewardship, many of us have worked at TIME under three different owners in three years. We’re fighting for stability.

Better mental health support

Covering the news over the past few years has taken a toll on us all. We’re fighting for a contract that will provide adequate support for journalists who take on dangerous assignments, which is particularly relevant and important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Banning metrics as discipline

Our journalists should be focused on journalism—not hitting arbitrary quotas. While we understand the importance of building an audience, we’re fighting so our journalists are judged on the work they produce instead of the numbers their work brought in.

Good-faith bargaining

Contract negotiations don’t need to take two years. We’re ready and willing to bargain to get this contract done quickly. We ask TIME’s management to do the same.