Since going public, NewsGuild members have been reaching out with words of support and encouragement as we fight for a union at Law360. Thank you everyone for your kind words!
Dear Law 360 Journalists:
The NewsGuild and my union dues are my safety net. Make them yours too. Stay the course!
Suzanne Barlyn
Correspondent
Reuters
Dear comrades at Law 360:
Good luck and best wishes as you work to form a union.
Much respect.
Jake Doherty
Staff Editor
The New York Times
We're all pulling for you here at The Times. Sometimes we worry that new media and younger journalists are no longer interested in the benefits of unions. But your courageous efforts show us otherwise – and demonstrate just how important it is for everyone to band together through these tumultuous times.
Clay Risen
Senior Staff Editor
Op-Ed
The New York Times
Hi. I'm a desk editor at Reuters. I've been at the company for 25 years. My longevity and the secure work environment is due very much to the Guild. I'm a proud and grateful Guild member. Don't let your managers intimidate you. Let the Guild make your professional life better. We're with you. Be strong. Good luck.
Jeff Benkoe
Reuters
You folks over at Law360 specialize in covering the courts, and lawyers who can dance with best of them. You're smart and don't need to be told what to make of the anti-union rhetoric you may be hearing ahead of your Aug. 10 vote on NewsGuild representation. As a Guild member, I want to wish you all the best of luck though. You won't regret voting "yes" to Guild membership and your solidarity is beneficial to all of us.
Tom Brown
Desk Editor
Thomson Reuters
I am a journalist at Reuters and a NewsGuild activist. My words are simple: Don't give up. Union representation is a great thing. And it's worth fighting for. You don't deserve to be harassed by management. You're better than that, and you know that. Don't let management intimidate you.
Leslie Adler
Thomson Reuters
When I moved from Law360 to Reuters in 2011, Law360 tried to sue me for violating a bogus noncompete. The attempt failed, but as a result, Law360 drafted a new, stronger noncompete – the same one that eventually led to Stephanie Russell-Kraft losing her job. While I was very lucky not to suffer the same fate as Stephanie, it was a scary time for me, and the cost of fighting Law360 – both financially and emotionally – was almost too much to bear. So I know first-hand how Law360 operates, and I've experienced a version of the tactics you all are now facing – the ones that try to convince you that doing what's in your best interest is more trouble than it's worth. The thing is, this is only true if you let it be. United you stand, divided you fall – it's a cliché, but it's true. Fear is your only weakness, and LRI's tactics only have the power you give them. If you stay strong, and stay united, and follow through on this plan, and you don't allow their intimidation to get to you, then you will come out the other side stronger, and in a better position to advocate for yourself in the future. Stay strong.
Nick Brown
Reporter, Reuters
Former Law360 Reporter
Dear Law360 friends,
Don't be discouraged! Fighting for union representation is utterly worthwhile. The Guild was able to save our pensions when The Times wanted to junk them – and in fact DID junk our managers' pensions.
When I talk to my colleagues and bosses about the union, I point out that the union is the only force standing between corporate bottom liners and our editorial priorities. The more the union can preserve for workers, the less likely it is that the company can justify eroding the compensation of NON-union members.
We are all in it together, and having a collective stance gives your voice impact.
Good luck!
Andrea Kannapell
Writer and Editor, The Evening Briefing and What We're Reading newsletter
The New York Times
You folks at Law360 certainly know better than anyone the b-s that lawyers can spin. I urge you to stand fast against the onslaught from Jackson Lewis and LRI.
As a nearly 30-year member of The NewsGuild of New York, I've never regretted for a moment belonging to this union. Knowing there's a contract that governs my employment at Reuters, including negotiated raises (but no pay ceiling) and benefits – and most importantly, a "just cause" clause for discipline – is worth every dollar of dues.
It may sound trite, but it's true – a workplace that has a union usually deserves one. From what I know of Law360, it's certainly fitting.
Good luck to you.
Dan Grebler
Desk Editor, Reuters
Chair, Reuters Unit, NewsGuild of New York
Where is Law360's commitment to its employees' rights? Sure, it finally gave up on its non-compete agreement – after intervention by prosecutors. PROSECUTORS!!! As a top legal publication, isn't it ashamed of the way it skirts the legal limits of employment law?
Isn't it ashamed of its disrespect for employees' rights, needs and desires? Isn't it ashamed that it is potentially degrading its high-quality product by lowering workplace standards and pressuring employees? Isn't it ashamed of the anti-humanistic reputation that it continues to create for itself? It should be ashamed of all those things.
The company may now be trying to convince you that life in a union shop is tedious and bureaucratic. That unions are innovation killers. That they suck dues from your wages and offer little in return. That they create havoc between managers and reporters. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth. On a daily basis at Reuters, the union is a non-issue. Here we are part of a global team that produces some of the highest-quality journalism of any place I've ever worked, AND we're a strong union shop. My managers respect the Guild -- as I'm sure many of your managers do also. Together we are focused on doing the best journalism we can while also honoring work-life balance and getting compensated fairly when that balance gets out of whack. But as wonderful as many of our bosses are, I'm not under any illusion that our life here would be so grand without The NewsGuild and an enforceable contract.
Stay strong you guys.
Fondest wishes,
Hilary Russ
Journalist, Reuters News