Podcast Summary: The Conde Nast Union Busting Purge

It Could Happen Here – Cool Zone Media/iHeartPodcasts
Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Mia Wong
Guest: Alma Avaye (former Bon Appétit staffer, VP of the Conde Nast Union)

Main Theme

This episode delves into the recent and dramatic layoffs and retaliatory firings at Conde Nast—specifically at Teen Vogue and other Conde publications—and how these actions constitute union busting and political purges targeting marginalized workers and active union members. Host Mia Wong and guest Alma Avaye break down the events, contextualize the political climate, draw connections to broader media and labor trends, and discuss strategies for pushing back.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Teen Vogue Layoffs & Political Purge

• Timeline of Events:

  • Monday, Nov 3: Two-thirds of Teen Vogue staff laid off, especially targeting culture and politics editors and writers focused on trans rights, progressive culture, and diversity ([03:38], Alma).
  • Many staff were folded under "Vogue" with unclear futures; key progressive coverage areas, such as trans youth, were notably omitted from future editorial focuses.
  • Two days later: second layoff round hits video, copy, and fact-checking teams—unprecedented for two waves to occur in the same week ([05:44], Alma).

• Quote:

  "If they were covering, say, trans rights, trans youth, progressive culture in nearly any way, shape, or form, they were either laid off or ... folded into the larger organization of Vogue."
  (03:58, Alma)

• Massive Loss for Progressives:

  • The layoffs essentially purge vocal trans, queer, and non-white voices from a rare progressive mainstream outlet.

2. Retaliation Against Union Activity

• The “March on the Boss” Incident:

  • After layoffs, union staff (including Alma) held a routine rally and tried to present management with questions—standard union procedure ([07:22], Alma).
  • Management responded by refusing answers, attempting to send workers back to desks, and, shortly after, firing Alma and three union activists with no severance, no notice, and loss of insurance ([11:06], Alma).
  • Additional five staffers placed on unpaid leave.

• Quote:

  "This is the most normal union activity in the entire world ... the most protected category ... so many different laws just broke."
  (18:10–18:47, Mia)

  "When I got the news ... I basically went into shock. This felt extremely tame compared to past union actions that we've done."
  (19:03, Alma)

3. Political & Structural Analysis: Why Is This Happening?

• Re-Segregation & Right-Wing Pressure:

  • The purge disproportionately hit trans, queer, and non-white workers (especially at progressive outlets). This is seen as part of a broader right-leaning media trend—compared with similar moves at CBS and The Washington Post ([17:07, Mia], [25:45, Alma]).
  • Management explicitly told the union shortly before layoffs that they wanted to “avoid the ire of the Trump administration” ([26:56], Alma).

• Quote:

  "Their overt political plan is resegregation ... in order to do resegregation, you fire all of the people who are non-white. You get rid of any trans people..."
  (17:07, Mia)

  "The company does not exactly have the best track record ... around trans issues. So being ... singled out in this way ... is really disappointing."
  (22:51, Alma)

• Corporate Priorities Shifted:

  • Despite evidence that Teen Vogue’s progressive, political coverage drove high traffic and revenue, business decisions align with political expediency and right-wing appeasement ([25:45], Alma; [26:25], Mia).

4. Impact on Media Function & Union Strategies

• Degradation of Actual Media Work:

  • Layoffs leave already thin-staffed publications unable to function properly; management makes uninformed demands (like editors running social themselves) ([06:33], Alma).
  • Disconnect between workers (who know their jobs and audiences) and management (who don’t).

• Worker Power & Co-ops as The Future:

  • Examples given (Hellgate, Defector, 404, etc.) where worker-ownership and flat structure provide stability and sustainability ([31:44], Alma).
  • Worker democracy (via unions or co-ops) is key to a functioning media in the face of hostile ownership.

• Quote:

  "Workplace democracy ... as earned by worker organizations, unions, worker co-ops ... is the thing that's going to keep the media afloat. That is the model that's sustainable in the long run."
  (32:30, Alma)

5. The Legal and Contractual Breakdown

• Union Protections Ignored:

  • Company disregarded contract rights (forbidding union congregation, improperly executing firings), raising grievances and exposing legal vulnerability ([21:00], Alma; [41:00], Alma).
  • Broader trend of companies simply ignoring contracts and daring unions to fight it out in backlogged, under-resourced legal arenas.

• Quote:

  "Companies are straight up gaslighting workers about things that are in the contracts that they agreed to ... saying that it says things it doesn't say or that it doesn't say things that are right there in clear English."
  (41:24, Alma)

• Management Stonewalling:

  • Top execs are unreachable and averse to accountability; Mia and Alma mock executive Stan Duncan’s repeated avoidance ([36:04], Alma).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the escalatory nature of retaliation:

  "This is a massive escalation ... in terms of retaliation ... one of the most egregious examples ... in our union’s history."
  (20:13, Alma)

• On media ownership and propaganda:

  “These people don't want a functioning media. … They’re trying to accumulate raw power and narrative control.”
  (24:42, Mia)

• On solidarity:

  "Who did cover it was ... my union colleagues who jumped in and helped me raise all the money that I needed to get surgery."
  (22:51, Alma)

• On management’s out-of-touchness:

  "I would be surprised if the man who fired me knew what my job was."
  (36:50, Alma)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:04] - Show proper begins; Mia’s introduction, referencing previous episode on layoffs and the metaphor of "stars disappearing in the sky."
• [03:38] - Alma details Teen Vogue purge/timeline.
• [05:35] - Clarifying dates and sequence of layoffs.
• [07:22] - Description of "march on the boss" union activity.
• [11:06] - Alma reveals being terminated along with three colleagues, no severance.
• [17:07] - Discussion on resegregation and broader trend in media layoffs.
• [18:10] - Mia explains how standard and protected the union actions were.
• [19:03] - Alma on shock from being fired for a routine action.
• [22:51] - Alma on reliance on union solidarity for trans healthcare needs.
• [24:06] - Mia and Alma discuss the "decline by design" of progressive publications.
• [26:56] - Management admits trying to avoid Trump admin’s attention.
• [31:44] - Worker co-ops and media democracy as future.
• [36:04] - Stonewalling by management, necessity of direct action.
• [41:24] - Management ignoring explicit contract terms.
• [44:57] - Alma describes public pressure campaign and ongoing fight; call to action.
• [47:13] - Alma shares where to find her work and Picnic Magazine.

Action Steps & Final Thoughts

How to support:

• The Conde Nast union is organizing public pressure campaigns and legal grievances.
• Action Network Petition: Public signatures encouraged to pressure Conde Nast.
• Follow Alma Avaye (@oodbyalna) and check out Picnic Magazine for work by trans contributors ([47:13], Alma).

Closing Note:

• Alma and Mia stress the importance of fighting for a genuinely free press and of remaining active and in solidarity.
• Mia: "If you want actual news that's fit to print, you're gonna have to fight for it." ([48:17])

Tone

The conversation is emotionally raw, urgent, and unapologetically radical—combining incisive political critique, lived experience, and a strong labor solidarity perspective. Jokes and personal anecdotes punctuate the analysis, grounding the heavy content in camaraderie and resilience.