WGA East Authorizes Strike at Hearst Union

New York, NY (February 12, 2026)— The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) Council has authorized a strike at Hearst Magazines should management fail to reach a fair contract on the last scheduled day of bargaining this Friday, February 13.  

After more than two months of negotiations, during which the Guild agreed to bargain past the last contract’s January 31st expiration date, management failed to meet the workers’ reasonable demands for job protections and sustainable careers during a dire time in journalism. Management has refused to bargain on reasonable in-office expectations and offered zero protections against AI.  

If a strike is called, the Guild will issue a directive to its members to immediately stop any current, new or future bargaining unit work at Hearst Magazines—including engaging in conversations concerning their work with any representatives from Hearst Magazines—for the duration of the strike. All Guild members are required to honor Guild picket lines and will be barred from entering Hearst Magazines premises during a strike. 

The WGAE Council strike authorization vote follows Hearst Magazines Union’s walkout and rallies at Hearst Tower in Manhattan, NY, and at Hearst offices in Los Angeles, CA, Easton, PA, Ann Arbor, MI and Birmingham, AL on February 3. More than 85% of the 410-member Hearst Magazines Union bargaining unit signed a strike pledge. In addition, more than 2,400 union members and supporters of the Hearst Magazines Union have written letters to management urging them to agree to a fair contract for WGAE members that addresses their reasonable demands with meaningful protections.  

The Hearst Magazines Union includes Hearst Magazine publications Autoweek, Best Products, Bicycling, Car and Driver, Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Delish, ELLE, ELLE Decor, Esquire, Food Network Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, HGTV Magazine, HOT ROD, House Beautiful, Men’s Health, MotorTrend, Oprah Daily, The Pioneer Woman, Popular Mechanics, Prevention, Road & Track, Runner’s World, Seventeen, Town & Country, Veranda, Woman’s Day, and Women’s Health. 

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