Our bargaining committee was ready to meet with @newyorker & @condenast management at 9:30 A.M. today, prepared to address just cause. We were 37 strong, with Guild members from other units standing with us in solidarity, in keeping with our lawful rights as a union.

Apparently, that was too much solidarity for management. Just cause is important to all @nyguild members, but management refused to bargain and walked away from negotiations. So, if they refuse to hear what we have to say, we’ll say it louder and share it with everyone here.

Some of our bosses’ unprofessional behavior has created toxic environments where workers fear raising editorial concerns or requesting guidance, avoid pitching ideas, and worry about job security. Here are five stories management would have heard, if they had chosen to stay:

1. “I do have fear of retribution, but also fear of [their] general outbursts. I just don’t want to be talked to in that way, or e-mailed in that way. It’s demeaning and it’s really aggressive.”

2. “It erodes morale on every level, and it undermines all of our creative talents and editorial investment, to the point where, individually, I don’t even bother—I barely pitch ideas anymore. I don’t chime in when I’m not asked to, because it’s not worth it.”

3. “We’ve all been belittled in some fashion, beaten in line, so trying to defend someone and stepping up in those situations seems futile and like it could make things worse.”

4. “We always have to weigh what we think and what we say about the work we’re doing and whether we’ll continue to be in [their] good graces in the future."

5. “What would help is having guidelines and clarity on what we can or can’t be disciplined for, so it’s not so nebulous and we’re not constantly in a state of low-level anxiety.”

Management has attempted to trivialize our members’ concerns around job security and our workplace culture. But these statements from across our shop illustrate exactly why we—and all our fellow @nyguild members—need just cause, no exceptions.

Update: We filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge over @newyorker’s refusal to bargain.