Met Gala 2022
“The shine comes from our sweat”: Publishing employees use Met Gala for protest
Vogue boss Anna Wintour at the 2022 Met Gala
© JOHN ANGELILLO / Picture Alliance
Hundreds of employees of the Condé Nast publishing house have organized themselves into a union and are demanding better working conditions. They now used the glamorous Met Gala to draw attention to their demands.
Flashbulbs, celebrity guests and unusual dresses: The Met Gala in New York is the Oscars of the fashion industry. The fundraiser ball has been held in aid of the Costume Institute since 1948, but it was only “Vogue” boss Anna Wintour who turned it into a show for the stars. On Monday evening, too, celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and Blake Lively crowded the steps in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But there was protest at the same time.
At the end of March, around 500 employees of Condé Nast, the publisher that also publishes Vogue, founded a union. They demand better pay, more job security and a stronger commitment to diversity and equity. To reinforce their demands, the employees published a letter parallel to the Met Gala. It says, among other things: “The shine of the gala comes from our sweat”. They also designed a “Vogue” cover showing the entrance to the Metropolitan Museum. One line reads, “Met Gala 2022: The longest night for employees”.
The unionists also explained their concerns on their Instagram account: “While the cameras are trained on the red carpet, there are countless invisible hands that ensure that every moment runs smoothly. These are freelancers, assistants and producers who have been working for months work tirelessly ahead of events like the Met Gala but receive no attention or recognition for their work.”
Employees complain about overtime and low pay
In addition, they would not be paid for many overtime hours and extra shifts. Prestige alone is not enough to settle scores. In their letter, the employees state that Condé Nast made more than two billion dollars in profits last year, “but many of our colleagues earn salaries that make it difficult for us to pay the rent”.
In addition to the lack of pay, it is also the constant stress that makes things difficult for the employees, especially at large events such as the Met Gala or the Oscars. “Events may end at a certain time, but that doesn’t mean the work ends.” While the celebrities walk the red carpet and eventually call it a day, the editors continue to report into the early hours of the morning. “Burnout is endemic at Condé Nast, and events like this only make it worse.”
There is a reason why the employees used the Met Gala to make their claims public again: the publisher Condé Nast has not yet recognized the union.
A similar situation already existed among the editors of the US magazine “The New Yorker”. They founded a union in 2018, which was finally accepted by the publisher Condé Nast in 2021 – after there had been strikes and angry protests in front of Anna Wintour’s New York townhouse. The 72-year-old has been one of the most powerful women at Condé Nast for many decades.