Members of the Writers Guild of America employed with Hearst Magazines staged a walkout in Birmingham this afternoon.

The event took place on Second Avenue South and was staged along with other union members in New York City, Pennsylvania and Michigan. It comes ahead of March 28, the last scheduled day of negotiations between the union and the company.

Union members said the union has gone for two years without a contract, and the walkout was meant “to demonstrate that the Union is ready to stand up to get this contract done.”

“The 500-member bargaining unit at Hearst has been fighting an intense anti-union campaign by management while trying to win important contract proposals around fair salary minimums, fair wage increases, better severance, and strong anti-harassment protections, among other key issues,” the union said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Hearst Magazines told Deadline, “We are committed to fostering a workplace where all employees feel supported. We’ve reached agreement on important issues and look forward to continuing to bargain in good faith and finalizing this process with a fair contract. Negotiations resume next week and we have offered future meeting dates.”