FromThe Bookseller:
The HarperCollins Union in the US has announced plans to host another rally outside parent company News Corp’s Manhattan office to mark the 50th business day of the strike.
Taking place at 12:30 p.m. on 18th January, it follows an initial rally held on 16th December. Negotiations between management and the union began in December 2021 and in October 2022 union members overwhelmingly voted for another strike, following a one-day walk-out in July, to take place from 10th November.
In November, more than 150 literary agents signed an open letter pledging not to submit new projects to HarperCollins US in support of workers at the company who are on strike.
In December, HarperCollins president and c.e.o. Brian Murray issued an open letter to the agents and authors who had contacted the company calling for better pay and working conditions, noting that the company was, “with the entire industry”, having to “contend with ongoing challenges to publishing and its underlying economics”. He said the financial requests made by the union “which are many and far reaching, fail to account for the market dynamics of the publishing industry and our responsibility to meet the financial demands of all our business stakeholders – including all employees, authors, and booksellers”.
Link to the rest at The Bookseller
In November, more than 150 literary agents signed an open letter pledging not to submit new projects to HarperCollins US in support of workers at the company who are on strike.
How on earth is this in the best interest of their clients? Isn’t there some sort of implied fiduciary duty here?
They have a ways to go:
The longest US strike was way over 6 months.
https://www.investopedia.com/the-10-biggest-strikes-in-u-s-history-4773384#toc-the-great-southwest-railroad-strike-of-1886
And they lost.
Just like at HC, other workers and unions refused to join them.
Worse, in the midst of the most “union friendly” regime in over 50 years, nobody outside the trade press has noticed they’re on strike.