American Prospect Grants Voluntary Recognition to WBNG

In a letter from the publisher and its top editors, The American Prospect management announced that it is voluntarily recognizing the Washington-Baltimore News Guild as the exclusive bargaining agent for magazine staff.
According to WBNG Local Representative Paul Reilly, the Guild unit will have eight members. The staffers had advised management of their filing for a union-representation vote, and the management response means that bargaining over wages, hours, and conditions of work can begin.

“There is no need for NLRB or third-party verification,” wrote TAP board chairman Mike Stern in a letter co-signed by the nonprofit’s top editors. “We would like to set up a first meeting with your representative(s) to work out an arrangement regarding the process for entering into a procedural agreement.”
Among the co-signers was Robert Kuttner, one of the publication’s founders in 1990. The Washington-based Prospect is “dedicated to American liberalism and progressivism.”

The publication appears four times a year in print and digital editions, while the organization’s website, prospect.org, offers daily news coverage and commentary.

TNG Local 32035 now has 33 shops. The FP Group/ForeignPolicy.com (20 Guild members), and The Advancement Project (15 WBNG members) are also in talks over initial Guild collective bargaining agreements.