New York Attorney General Letitia James threatened to take Condé Nast to court over the “Fired Four” on Wednesday night during a union rally outside the company’s World Trade Center headquarters.
Condé Nast angered the NewsGuild of New York last week by firing four employees after they confronted the company’s HR chief outside his C-suite office to “demand answers” on recent layoffs at WIRED and Teen Vogue. The Guild blasted the firings as “grossly illegal tactics” designed to union-bust and intimidate and organized a rally to call for the reinstatement of the group that has been billed as the “Fired Four” by colleagues.
NewsGuild of New York President Susan DeCarava introduced James to rallygoers by declaring she has “built her career on standing up for working people” and “holding powerful interests to account.”
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James came to the podium and started chants of, “When we fight, we win,” and “People, united, will never be defeated,” before suggesting the economy is “rigged against working people.”
James told the assembled crowd she was proud to stand with the Guild before asking, “Since when is it illegal for an individual, or individuals, to express, or recognize, their First Amendment rights? Since when is that illegal? When is it illegal to ask a question? When is it illegal to speak truth to power? When is it illegal to get answers from your employer?”
James, who is fighting her own battle right now after pleading not guilty to federal bank fraud charges, accused Condé Nast of skirting labor protections.
“To all of those who are responsible for the termination of these individuals, let me introduce myself. My name is Letitia James, otherwise known as Tish, and I am here to let you know that I stand with workers now, and I will stand with workers forever,” she said.
“I want you to know that I’m not afraid to march into a courtroom to assure that the rights of these individuals, and the rights of all workers, is respected and honored. And that the rule of law is on the side of those individuals who simply asked the question, ‘What is going on?’ So, I urge you, I urge you now, to reverse these terminations,” James continued. “This is an injustice. My name is Letitia James and as the Attorney General of the State of New York, Condé Nast, I’ll see you in court.”
Condé Nast appeared unfazed by James’ threat, insisting the “Fired Four” had been terminated lawfully.
“The employment terminations were lawful and based on clear violations of company policies. We have an obligation to protect our workplace from harassment and intimidation. If the Attorney General has concerns, we are happy to respond to her,” a Condé Nast spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The dispute began last week when staffers confronted Condé Nast Chief People Officer Stan Duncan, peppering him with questions about the recent layoffs. Duncan urged them to return to their workspaces immediately. The caught-on-camera interaction resulted in the termination of four of the employees involved.
Bon Appétit digital producer Alma Avalle, who is also a NewsGuild of New York leader and trans activist, was fired, along with Wired senior White House reporter Jake Lahut, The New Yorker senior fact-checker Jasper Lo and Condé Nast Entertainment videographer Ben Dewey.
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A Condé Nast insider told Fox News Digital that several minutes of the incident are missing from the viral video that show the workers being more disruptive. Condé Nast and the Guild have each filed unfair-labor-practice charges against each other.
The Condé Nast insider also told Fox News Digital that the company has filed three previous grievances this year with the union about similar behavior.
James has long-drawn President Donald Trump’s ire after she campaigned for attorney general in 2018 largely on vows to investigate Trump’s actions and businesses. The rally came after DeCarava told Fox News Digital that, “We don’t want employers to think that just because the Trump administration seems hell-bent on demonizing the press and doing away with free press and finding ways to inhibit an independent press, and free speech that the employer should then use that as an excuse to basically ignore or abrogate the collective bargaining agreements we’ve reached with them.”
Condé Nast maintains staffers were terminated for cause.
“Most people recognize that the misconduct exhibited by union members last week wouldn’t be acceptable in any workplace. Their employment was terminated with cause, as they were in violation of our company policies. Blaming the ramifications of their own misconduct on the Trump administration is pretty absurd,” a Condé Nast spokesperson told Fox News Digital prior to the rally.
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The layoffs that irked the “Fired Four” in the first place included an announcement that Teen Vogue would transition from a separate publication to being part of Vogue.com. The headcount reduction that came with the change caught the attention of the Guild, which noted the left-wing outlet was laying off minorities and transgender people.
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Fox News Digital’s Azziana Solomon and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
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