On Nov. 5, 2025 in an egregious attempt at union-busting, Condé Nast management illegally terminated four union members – Alma Avalle, Jake Lahut, Jasper Lo and Ben Dewey – for participating in federally protected union activity.

Management singled out the four union leaders from a group of nearly 20 Guild members who approached the head of human resources, Stan Duncan, to seek answers about the decision to dismantle Teen Vogue – a brand praised for its insightful political and cultural journalism often critical of the Trump administration – and related layoffs. Prior to this, union members made repeated attempts to meet with Duncan and other executives to talk through concerns about multiple rounds of layoffs and a seeming shift away from critical politics and identity coverage at several prominent Condé brands. Executives ignored those requests.

On Nov. 7, management additionally suspended without pay five more employees who were present in the hallway while their colleagues asked Duncan questions about their workplace.

Under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, workers are guaranteed the right to self-organize and “to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.” The Fired Four, the five additional suspended workers and their coworkers were exercising that right.

Make no mistake: This is Condé Nast taking advantage of the government shutdown and the Trump Administration’s repression of the National Labor Relations Board to illegally exploit and punish workers, to ignore the union contract they agreed to, and to try to scare the rest of their unionized workforce into silence. The company is attempting to silence its workers in any way possible while the Trump administration is openly muzzling the free press. It will not work.

Approaching the head of Human Resources to ask questions about labor conditions is something union members at Condé — and at many other outlets — have done before, including at Conde, and have a right to do again. The true gross misconduct in this instance is the retaliation from the company in targeting union leaders instead of answering their employees’ questions.  

Stand with the Condé and New Yorker workers and demand that Condé Nast executives reinstate Alma, Ben, Jake, and Jasper immediately, rescind all illegal retaliatory discipline, and stop union-busting — NOW.