WGA East Members at Slate Unanimously Ratify Third Union Contract

NEW YORK, NY (January 28, 2026) – Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at Slate Media and management reached a deal on their third three-year collective bargaining agreement. The contract was unanimously ratified by the 55-member bargaining unit.

The contract introduces a new article with protections against the implementation of Artificial Intelligence, including requiring advance notice and details before the introduction of any generative AI tool in an editorial capacity. Unit members have the ability to contest or strike their byline from any AI-related editorial asks that they feel would compromise editorial integrity.

The contract also requires development of a public-facing editorial policy—in consultation with the union—regarding transparency in generative AI use, and stringent editorial guidelines and review processes around use of generative AI in the editorial process. Any unit member whose position is materially affected by the introduction of an editorial generative AI system will receive an additional three weeks of severance and an additional month of COBRA.

Other contract highlights include:

• Guaranteed wage increases: 5%, 4% and 3% raises for unit members in 2026;

• Minimum severance tripled from two to six weeks;

• Bereavement leave doubled from five to ten days;

• Parental leave increased from 13 to 16 weeks;

• Out-of-title pay improvement: When performing out-of-title work, unit members will now make the higher of either that position’s salary OR an additional 12% on top of their own salary;

• Slate will cover hostile environment training + anti-doxxing tools;

• Guaranteed severance and COBRA for separation from Company due to editorial differences;
• And an $8,000 increase to the lowest minimum salary ($58,000 → $66,000).

The Slate Union said, “The Slate Union is proud to ratify a new contract with management. We’re thrilled to have secured better parental leave and severance, raised salary minimums and annual increases, added new positions to the unit, and introduced a brand new A.I. article. This contact improves the livelihoods of all our members, and we hope it helps set even better standards for all of those in our industry.”

Slate won union recognition in January 2018, and ratified its first collective bargaining agreement in January 2019.

In addition to Slate, the WGA East’s Online Media Sector includes the Bustle Digital Group, Civic News Group, Committee to Protect Journalists, Fast Company & Inc., Financial Times Specialists, Future PLC, Gizmodo Media USA , Jalopnik at Static Media, Hearst Magazines, HuffPost, Inc., Jewish Currents, NowThis, Onion Inc.,  Salon, Talking Points Memo,  The Intercept, The Root,  Vox Media and VICE.

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST

The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of more than 7,500 members working in film, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org.