A Wintour of discontent looms at style bible Vogue over staff pay
FOR Vogue editor-inchief Anna Wintour, the money-spinning September issue of the magazine is the main event in the calendar.
Often running to hundreds of pages, it showcases autumn fashions and brings in tons of ad revenue. There was even a documentary about how the issue is put together.
But we can reveal that this year its success is threatened as Anna, who is also global chief content officer at Condé Nast, is facing a staff revolt over pay, contracts and union recognition.
Vogue’s sister magazine, Wired, nearly lost millions last month when workers threatened to shut down advertising links on the mag’s website that generate income.
‘We stand firm in the belief that all Condé Nast employees deserve the rights and protections of a union and a fair contract,’ they said.
Within hours, the bosses caved in, awarding pay rises and contracts. Now Condé Nast insiders tell me the protest, which was dubbed ‘No contract, no clicks’, could reach Vogue next, just in time for the all-important issue.
‘Staff across the titles have learned how to hit Condé where it hurts,’ a source tells me. ‘There’s a lot more people displaying their “Condé Union” badges on their work emails and [workplace messaging service] Slack chat profiles now.’
This could be the first digital protest in Anna’s 34-year history of running the magazine, though she has weathered one picket line.
In April the notoriously formidable 72-year-old fashion highpriestess endured chants from 400 protesters outside her New York townhouse holding placards which read ‘You can’t eat prestige’ and ‘The boss wears Prada, the workers get nada’.