Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y., announced that they would no longer participate in next week’s New Yorker Festival, a star-studded annual event hosted by the leftist New Yorker magazine, over concerns that the publication was not cooperating with its unionized staff members’ demands.
The New Yorker Union announced earlier this month that the writers and other editorial staffers it represents will go on strike during the festival event as part of its ongoing dispute with the New Yorker’s management.
The union reached out to Warren and Ocasio–Cortez and asked them to join the boycott, and the two progressive leftists agreed.
“The NewsGuild and The New Yorker Union are fighting for basic dignity on the job, and we stand with them,” Warren and Ocasio–Cortez said in a joint statement.
“We will not cross the picket line and attend the festival unless the New Yorker leadership agrees to the union’s demands—they should do so immediately.”
Former Attorney General Eric Holder announced later that day that he, too, would be pulling out of the event.
As a strong union supporter, I can’t in good conscience cross a picket line to take part in the festival. I hope the parties are able to quickly negotiate a fair agreement. https://t.co/U9HbHQGOLb
— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) September 30, 2020
Before Warren and Ocasio-Cortez agreed to drop out of the event, Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild of New York, slammed the two leftists as “deeply hypocritical.”
The New Yorker Union has been demanding a “just cause” clause in employees’ contract, which would set a standard that must be met for an employer to discipline or fire employees. In some cases, this clause makes it almost impossible for employees to be fired.
The New Yorker has thus far refused to accept such a demand, leading unionized staff members to organize a picket.
The New Yorker, however, defended its position and said it will continue to negotiate with the union.
“Like many other media outlets, The New Yorker strongly believes that its editorial standards should not be determined by arbitrators outside of The New Yorker, and we look forward to our continued discussions regarding just cause in the context of bargaining,” a spokeswoman for the publication said in a statement.
