WGA East Members at Committee to Protect Journalists Ratify New Union Contract
NEW YORK, NY (April 10, 2025) — Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at the nonprofit organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and management reached a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement. The contract was unanimously ratified by the 20-member bargaining unit who work as editorial staff.
The three-year contract guarantees workers 4% annual raises for the duration of the agreement. The unit also won a guaranteed minimum salary of $72,500, up from $60,000, with further increases of up to $20,000 on salary minimums across titles.
Additional highlights from the contract include:
- Artificial intelligence protections:
- CPJ agreed to establish an AI Task Force/Committee composed of equal numbers of union members, management, and international non-managerial staff who will be charged with establishing a framework for CPJ to use/implement AI;
- The Employer shall not lay off a staff member or reduce a staff member’s employee benefits primarily as a result of the implementation of generative artificial intelligence tools;
- The Employer shall not give permission for CPJ’s work product to be utilized for training any AI technology unless it complies with the framework or, if not addressed in such framework, without review and approval of the AI Task Force/Committee;
- Created a process for layoffs, which includes a minimum of 11 weeks of severance and a recall procedure if a similar job is posted within 10 months;
- 20 weeks paid parental leave, up from six weeks;
- 15 sick days, up from 10 days;
- 10 days bereavement leave, up from five days and expanded definition of who the leave can be used for;
- CPJ agreed to continue funding a minimum of $5,000 per year in healthcare reimbursements, with an additional $1,500 for employees with dependents.
The CPJ bargaining unit said, “We are proud to have secured a new contract that will support the rigor of our reporting, resilience of staff, and the strength of our work protecting journalists worldwide. This contract increases salaries to a living wage, enhances paid parental leave, and codifies compensatory time for work done outside of standard hours. As an organization dedicated to defending journalists, we hope that the protections in our contract related to privacy and artificial intelligence will support our colleagues at other workplaces mitigate risks associated with emerging technologies.”
“Our members at the Committee to Protect Journalists are doing critical work to keep writers safe in a hostile industry,” says Sara David, WGAE Vice President of Online Media. “These strong contract gains will allow workers to continue defending the freedom of the press.”
In 2009, the Committee to Protect Journalists was awarded the Writers Guild of America East’s Evelyn F. Burkey Award, which recognizes a person or an organization “whose contributions have brought honor and dignity to writers everywhere.” Through its in-depth reporting, analysis and advocacy work, the Committee to Protect Journalists has brought international attention to journalists who have been threatened, held captive or murdered in the line of duty.
In addition to CPJ, the WGA East’s Online Media Sector includes the Bustle Digital Group, Civic News Group, CNET, Fast Company, Future PLC, Gizmodo Media Group, Hearst Magazines, HuffPost, Inc., Jewish Currents, NowThis, Onion Inc., Refinery29, Salon, Slate, Talking Points Media, The Dodo, The Intercept, Thrillist, VICE and Vox Media.
ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of more than 7,500 members working in film, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org.
