Dear Management colleagues,

We write to inform you that the members of the Harper’s Magazine union have voted to authorize our bargaining committee to call for action up to and including a strike in order to win a fair contract. This is not a step that we are undertaking lightly; we arrive at this decision with the full support of our membership. After two years of negotiating with little progress toward a fair contract, we feel we have no other choice.

Since we began bargaining, the cost of living in New York City has risen dramatically. In the past year alone, the living wage for a single New Yorker, as calculated by MIT and the Living Wage Institute, has increased from $68,338 to $79,469. Meanwhile, the salary for assistant editors has remained stagnant at $45,000, in stark contrast to the minimums at comparable outlets. Taken together, this effectively means a year-over-year decrease in compensation. Not only does this make it difficult for members of our staff to pay rent, afford the bare necessities, or deal with unexpected expenses, it also means that we risk losing our talented colleagues to other workplaces. We envision Harper's as a magazine in which employees are cultivated and can build lasting careers, rather than as a stepping stone to roles at competing publications.

We take pride in the legacy of Harper’s—its commitment to challenging entrenched interests (in part through its robust reporting on the U.S. labor movement), preserving the American intellectual tradition, raising the standard of discourse, and embracing style in an increasingly homogenous media landscape. We have no intention or desire to harm it in any way. We remain dedicated to making Harper’s a sustainable workplace for all of its employees, and we hope that you will join us back at the bargaining table to reach a contract agreement that includes meaningful salary increases.

Respectfully,

Harper’s Magazine Union Members