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"gewg_" writes:

from the look-for-the-union-label-hyperlink dept.

The Center for American Progress reports [thinkprogress.org]

[June 3], Gawker Media voted to unionize. The stats: 107 of 118 eligible voters cast secret ballots, 80 of whom voted yes. Just like that, Gawker will become the first digital-only news site to have a union.

Hamilton Nolan, longtime Gawker writer, announced the editorial staff's decision to organize in a post [gawker.com] this April. At the time, he listed the motivations: that a union "is the only real mechanism that exists to represent the interest of employees in a company," the continued pursuit of fair and transparent salaries, and the ability to make a little history as the first major site of its kind to organize.

According to Gawker senior writer Sam Biddle, who answered questions via email, "The origin of the union isn't any particular grievance or crisis---we all love our jobs and our workplace, and thought a union would be a great way to protect that, and make it even better for ourselves and our colleagues." In his five years at Gawker, he doesn't recall unionizing being "seriously discussed."

"I think it happened now because the [Writers Guild of America, East] was so enthusiastic about making this happen for us," he said. "It didn't take very much convincing, to be honest."

[...]Both [WGA and Gawker] insist the desire to form a union arose from a desire for the perks of organization, not as a reaction to poor working conditions.

Original Submission