Workers in the Association of HarperCollins Employees, members of Local 2110 of the UAW, voted to ratify their most recent union contract last week after several months of bargaining. It is the first contract negotiated between the company and the union since the historic strike at HarperCollins that ended with a contract agreement in February 2023.
Under the new contract, HarperCollins employees now have one of the highest base pays in the publishing industry.
According to Local 2110, the new three-year agreement includes annual increases to the base salary for all levels of employees covered by the contract, which includes about 180 staff in the editorial, sales, publicity, design, legal, and marketing departments. The new starting salary is $52,500, going up to $55,200 as of Jan 1, 2028.
Additionally, all workers covered by the contract are now eligible for overtime pay for every hour worked over 35 hours a week, and early-career employees are able to work up to three hours per week of overtime without the prior approval of their supervisors. Including ratification bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $3,000, based on seniority, this brings the lowest annual compensation to $57,000 in year one of the contract.
Employees also won "improvements around severance, parental leave, discipline, and promotions, and expands the contract’s equal rights clause to further protect vulnerable workers from discrimination," per the union.
“The material benefits and community support that come from being in a union in this industry cannot be overstated,” said Sophia Kaufman, Harper associate editor and union steward and bargaining committee member. “Our union makes our jobs more sustainable. I hope publishing workers at other houses, agencies, and organizations are encouraged to organize their own workplaces to protect themselves and their jobs, and even improve upon the substantial gains we’ve made at HarperCollins.”
Local 2110 also represents employees at Abrams and the New Press. Outside of publishing, it represents workers at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the ACLU, and others.
HarperCollins, which unionized more than 80 years ago, is the only Big Five publisher with a union. The new contract raises the standard for pay and job protection in the publishing industry, Local 2110 said.
“This contract is a testament to the solidarity we have built in the HarperCollins Union. We are all proud to continue to set new standards in publishing,” said Caitlin Stamper, designer at HarperCollins Children’s Books and union chairperson and bargaining committee member. “We were able to achieve provisions that will provide life changing support to current members, and a more sustainable future for new employees.”
