Monday, May 06, 2024

Condé Nast union threatens to make a scene at Anna Wintour’s Met Gala Monday


By Isabel Keane
NY POST
Published May 5, 2024,


Condé Nast's union threatens action at the Met Gala to force a contract


The union warned its employer on X that if they fail to meet them for a contract, they would meet them at the Met.@condeunion / X



Members of the Condé Nast union are threatening to create a scene at Monday’s Met Gala — the marquee event organized by the company’s grande dame Anna Wintour.

“Meet us at the table, or we’ll meet you at the Met,” a post by the Condé Union warned via X Saturday night, referring to stalled contract negotiations.

It’s unclear what action Condé’s media workers plan to take come Monday, whether it’s picketing outside the event – like they were seen doing Sunday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – or more disruptive action like a work stoppage or a strike.

Members of the Condé Nast union threatened to take action ahead of Monday’s Met Gala if their management refuses to meet them for a contract.Conde United/GoFundMe

Messages left with Condé Union and NewsGuild of New York were not immediately returned.

However, a source told The Post that the union is “continuing talks” on Sunday. Members also said they’re vowing to do “whatever it takes” to get a contract for employees of the glossy magazine publisher.

“Fashion’s Biggest Night” gets extensive wall-to-wall coverage every year, but nobody goes bigger than Condé titles like Vogue and Vanity Fair, which show off exclusive access to the A-listers inside the event.

Last week, members of the guild made a video telling management that a huge majority has pledged to do whatever it takes to secure their contract ahead of the annual event, which relies heavily on their work to succeed.

“Management apparently thinks it’s acceptable to threaten us with more job losses and waste our time at the bargaining table,” Alma Avalle, a writer and producer for Bon Appétit, told the AFL-CIO — the umbrella labor org over the Condé union.


Security at the event – which is attended by some of the biggest stars in the world, including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Gisele Bündchen – is notoriously tight, and it’s unlikely that picketers would even have a chance to get close to the guests.

The union, which represents Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler Epicurious, Glamour, GQ, Self, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Them and more, has been bargaining for its first contract now for two years with no success.


Negotiations have grown tense and have stalled for months now ever since Condé Nast announced plans to lay off 5% of its workforce, including 17% of the union’s members, in November 2023.


The union, whose slogan was “Prestige doesn’t pay the bills” when it formed, is demanding better pay and better healthcare benefits — including the expansion of gender-affirming care coverage for transgender staffers.

This year’s Met Gala is co-chaired by Wintour, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and Bad Bunny and will celebrate an exhibition crafted by the Costume Institute’s chief curator, Andrew Bolton, with the theme “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”

The union’s post on Saturday left many wondering whether a picket line outside the event would cause discomfort for some of the event’s liberal guest list.

“Actors crossing this picket line after the SAG strike would be horrid,” one X user wrote.
Union members threatened to take action on Monday if their contract was not met.Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
The annual event is held the first Monday of every May.Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

“The Condé union, who have been waiting for a contract forever, are about to strike during the met gala. after all the sag and wga strikes, I’m not sure the world is ready for what this is gonna look like. which celebs will cross the picket line?” journalist David Mack added.

The union wrote via X on Sunday that members were outside The Met supporting the Fashion Workers Act, which would establish labor protections for models and industry workers.

“Without these workers, there would be no fashion. We understand this basic principle because, without us, there would be no Condé Nast,” the union wrote in a statement with the News Guild.

Condé Nast did not return The Post’s request for comment Sunday.



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