Spicy and ‘Sweet’

MEDIA outfit Meredith is firing back at allegations it stiffed journos from Shape magazine who worked on Ayesha Curry’s Sweet July mag. Insiders alleged that employees of Shape — for which Meredith shuttered print operations last month — had been pulling double duty working overtime on Curry’s lifestyle mag, without receiving additional pay, we exclusively reported. A rep for labor union News Guild said that amounted to “roughly 375 hours from each worker.” Meredith retorted yesterday: “The allegations, including those by the News Guild . . . are not reflective of the facts, our values or how we do business.” The media company added, “This is a matter strictly between Meredith and the News Guild. These are not employees of Ayesha Curry or AC Brands. Neither Ayesha Curry nor AC Brands has any responsibility for employee compensation or management. We look forward to continuing discussions with the News Guild’s negotiating team and reaching a resolution.” Curry, a Food Network star and wife of NBA great Steph Curry, has so far stayed mum. A social media post supporting the scribes said: “Ayesha, your vision for Sweet July emphasizes that the stories behind the makers are as important as the products they sell. Right now, the story is one of exploitation and unpaid labor.”