Workers at Hearst Magazines have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the company, achieving significant gains for their 410-member union. The contract, which spans three years, received overwhelming support with a 98% approval rate from union members affiliated with the Writers Guild of America East. This marks the second such agreement for the Hearst Magazines Union, which represents staffers across 29 publications, including Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar.
The new agreement outlines annual salary increases of 2%-3%, with the raise for 2026 being retroactive to January 1, 2026. Additionally, the contract raises the minimum salary in the lowest tier by 11.8% to $62,400 across all locations. The WGA East has highlighted other key improvements, including enhanced severance protections and an upgraded 401(k) plan, where the company will match 100% of the first 3% of employee contributions.
The contract is set to expire on April 29, 2029, allowing for a more favorable timeline for future negotiations. The tentative agreement was reached after more than two months of discussions, which extended past the previous contract’s expiration on January 31, 2026. Union members had previously authorized a strike if an agreement was not finalized by February 13, 2026. This period of negotiation followed a series of walkouts and rallies on February 3, 2026, at Hearst Tower in New York City and various offices across the United States, including locations in Los Angeles, Easton, Pennsylvania, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Birmingham, Alabama.
The Hearst Magazines Union bargaining committee expressed satisfaction with the gains made through this contract. They stated, “We made many important gains — better raises, higher wage floors, and an improved 401(k) match — for members of our unit with this contract. We also know there is still a great deal of work to be done to make Hearst Magazines a place we can all be proud of.”
Sara David, Vice President of the WGA East’s Online Media Sector, emphasized the ongoing challenges facing union members. “Hearst management consistently underestimated the solidarity of the Hearst Magazines Union. While this contract is a step forward, our members are clear-eyed that there is still more to fight for,” she said. This includes calls for meaningful protections related to artificial intelligence, flexible remote work policies, and wages that better reflect the contributions to the company’s substantial profits, which reached $13.5 billion last year.
Established in 2019, the WGA East-affiliated Hearst Magazines Union includes employees from various notable publications, such as Best Products, Men’s Health, and Woman’s Day. The WGA East’s Online Media Sector also represents workers from a diverse range of organizations, including Bustle Digital Group, HuffPost, and Vox Media.
As the Hearst Magazines Union moves forward, the ratification of this contract signals a strengthened commitment to advocating for fair labor practices and improved working conditions within the media industry.
