Schneps Media Union Wins Vote: Bargaining Begins

A union contract is now within reach for Schneps Media Union after their victory by vote, making it an official union on July 24th. It was an astounding win with “90% of ballots cast in favor of joining IAPE,” the union told Straus News. Schneps Media, which publishes a string of community newspapers from Manhattan to the Hamptons, is under fire from its editorial employees who wish for better wages, benefits— and respect.

”We, the reporters of Schneps Media, are elated to finally have won a seat at the table to negotiate for livable wages, affordable health care, and stronger editorial guardrails,” said Ethan Stark-Miller, an amNew York reporter and organizing committee member, in a statement following the win.

He emphasized that efforts to unionize have lasted “a year and a half.”

The Union of YES

“Our campaign also overcame a concerted anti-union effort from management, including an onslaught of emails, calls, and one-on-one meetings aimed at swaying us to vote no,” Stark-Miller continued. “But today we came together to loudly say YES to unionization!”

Max Parrott, a union organizer and Senior Reporter, shared with Straus that six members of the bargaining unit have been challenged by management for being ineligible. “It’s our first order of business, to argue for those folks to be in our unit,” says Parrott. He went on to explain that the six employees carry non-reporter titles such as digital editor or copy editor with “supervisory responsibilities.” Parrott spoke for his coworkers, “We find that argument to be in bad faith.”

The union said it reached out to company founder and president Vicki Schneps-Yunis and her son, CEO Josh Schneps, and asked them in mid-June to recognize the union and begin contract negotiations voluntarily. Vicki Schneps-Yunis sent an 800-word memo to editorial employees urging them to vote “no” on the union authorization vote and asking them to sit down and talk. The president also expressed that bringing “a third party to a family community newspaper business is not something I agree with or think will be good for you or our business,” Schneps warned.

Reporters in the five boroughs were slated to vote in an office that Schneps has in the Metro Tech Building in downtown Brooklyn on July 24. Long Island-based employees voted at 329 Hempstead Turnpike, West Hempstead, NY. The election was supervised by the National Labor Relations Board.

Twenty-seven editorial people were eligible to vote, representing journalists across 10 publication groups including the daily amNY, the weekly Villager in Manhattan, as well as other weeklies across the five boroughs including the Brooklyn Paper, the Bronx Times, the Queens Courier, QNS, and on Long Island the Long Island Press, and Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons as well as niche magazines including New York Family. The company website claims it publishes over 70 publications in print and digital formats. At least two other publications, Gay City News and Caribbean Life, did not have editorial employees eligible to vote in the election.

According to the union’s website, “the request [asking for voluntary recognition of the union] follows a decision by 81 percent of eligible staffers to sign a mission statement and 85 percent union authorization cards,” the site reads.

The company website said the company traces its roots to Vicki Schneps starting the Queens Courier in her living room in 1985. She said she realized the power local media could have after her firstborn daughter, Lara, was diagnosed with a birth defect that left her with intellectual disabilities. She was sent to an institution known as the Willowbrook State School for the Mentally Retarded on Staten Island in the mistaken belief that it was a school that could help. Instead, it was a horrible institution that was forced to close after its treatment of children and deaths were highlighted in large part because of conditions uncovered by a young investigative reporter, Geraldo Rivera.

“It left a lasting impression on me how the power of the press helped focus on the needs of people with mental retardation and ultimately brought change forever,” Vicki Schneps-Yunis is quoted as saying. She formed the Queens Courier in 1985 as part of a push for legislation that would make it easier for apartment dwellers to form co-ops to buy their own apartments.

But present-day employees say they are struggling because of low wages.

Annual salaries for reporters start as low as $37,000 according to a past job ad on Schneps’ website, and that has contributed to high staff turnover. Max Parrott, a reporter at the daily amNew York Law, according to a statement posted on the union website, said the union hopes to create an environment where journalists could “maintain a sustainable career in local journalism.”

“Many reporters have been talking with editors, Josh and Vicki, for years about salary and editorial integrity concerns, said Isabella Gallo, a reporter at amNY Law and member of the Schneps Media Union organizing committee. “That has not proven successful, so we’ve chosen to unionize so we can have these conversations at the bargaining table, where we’re both legally bound to have good faith discussions over our concerns and what’s best for the company.”

“IAPE is thrilled with the monumental win of the Schneps Media Union and looks forward to negotiating with the company,” says IAPE Local President Jodi Green. “To create a fair contract that protects worker rights ensures fair treatment of workers and guarantees employees are paid what they deserve for the great work that they do.”

“We respect the outcome of this election and the choice our reporters have made,” said Joshua Schneps, CEO of Schneps Media. “Schneps Media was built on local journalism and the people who produce it, and that doesn’t change today. In the face of a profoundly changing business environment for every media company, our pledge is to meet with the union and bargain in good faith toward a contract that works for our journalists, our readers, and the long-term economic viability of our various publications.”

“For more than 40 years, our success has been built on great people and deep community connection,” said Victoria Schneps-Yunis, President of Schneps Media. “We’re committed to working together to protect that legacy and build a sustainable future for everyone who makes this company run.”

As of Monday, July 27th, there has been no communication between the union and management since the vote, according to Parrott. However, they are still hopeful to get to contract negotiations as soon as possible.