Deal reached for unionized Oxford University Press staff, would raise wages 22% for lowest-paid
NEW YORK, July 26 – Unionized workers at Oxford University Press USA reached a tentative agreement Thursday on a historic first contract that would dramatically raise worker pay, establish job security, and create other important workplace rights at the world’s largest academic publishing house, union officials said.
The proposed pact covers about 150 U.S. employees in editorial, content, production, marketing, and other departments. The tentative agreement, reached after 29 months of bargaining and a brief work stoppage, will go to members for a ratification vote sometime in August, the union said.
“Millions of students and scholars rely on the first-rate research edited by the U.S. staff of Oxford University Press,” said Teddy Reiner, a project editor and union leader. “In an industry known for low pay across the board, our colleagues united. OUP USA has become a pioneer in collective action in academia and can now boast fair employment terms that will attract and retain outstanding professionals.”
“My hearty congratulations to our union colleagues at OUP. It’s great to see them get rewarded for their hard work and perseverance,” said News Media Guild President Vin Cherwoo. “We are immensely proud of their efforts. It was a long road from the start of their organizing drive, and they kept up with it and have finally been rewarded with their first contract.”
If approved by members, the three-year agreement would take effect immediately. The deal:
- Increases minimum salary for the lowest-paid staff from $40,000 to $49,642
- Creates annual wage increases of 4.5%, 2.5%, and 2.5%
- Provides reverse seniority for layoffs, adding increased protection for longer-tenured employees
- Creates super seniority for union officers, providing greater protections from layoffs
- Establishes a process for written job descriptions, a professionalism goal sought by the OUP USA Guild.
- Contract language protecting bargaining unit jobs from being sent overseas.
- Keeps healthcare costs flat over the life of the contract
Workers took part in a one-day Unfair Labor Practice strike in June, protesting violations of U.S. labor law, including the company’s earlier dismissal of a unit leader. The union filed a formal charge with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board. The agency is still investigating the matter.
Staff at OUP voted to unionize with the News Media Guild (NMG) in September 2021, and have been collectively bargaining with OUP management since February 2022. The OUP USA Guild is the newest unit in the NMG, which also represents employees at The Associated Press, the U.S. staff of The Guardian, the Financial Times, and the Madrid-based EFE News Service.
NMG is a local union of The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America.