Scientific American Union Holds Rally After Layoffs and Springer Nature’s Sale of Historic Science Publication; Demand Recognition from New Owners LabX
NEW YORK (July 1, 2026) – Workers at Scientific American, represented by the Writers Guild of America East, held a rally yesterday, June 30, following Springer Nature’s decision to sell the publication and immediately lay off staff. The 180-year-old science publication known for its authoritative science journalism is the longest-running continuously published magazine in the country.
The rally and picket outside of Springer Nature offices in Manhattan featured speakers from the Scientific American Union bargaining unit, New York City Assemblymembers Claire Valdez and Grace Lee, NYC Central Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Janella Hinds, Manhattan Deputy Borough President Miesha Smith, and WGAE Executive Director Sam Wheeler.
Last Tuesday, June 23, the international scientific publisher Springer Nature sold Scientific American to LabX Media Group. 15 members of staff were immediately laid off, and salaries of remaining workers were cut by as much as 30 percent.
Staff at Scientific American were unionizing with the WGAE in an effort to improve the publication’s operation, bolster its editorial independence and secure a sustainable future. The company made the sale three days before the election vote was counted, after which the NLRB confirmed the union voted 31 to 1 in favor of the union. Springer Nature’s actions constitute blatant union-busting.
In a statement, the Scientific American Union said, “We are calling on our new owners, LabX Media Group, to immediately recognize our unit and meet us at the bargaining table to work together to steer a sustainable future of Scientific American—including, but going far beyond, a commitment to respecting our editorial independence. We have already developed a number of proposals for making our journalism more profitable that we look forward to discussing in these negotiations.”
In addition to Scientific American, the WGA East’s Online Media sector represents workers at Bustle Digital Group, Civic News Group, Committee to Protect Journalists, Fast Company & Inc., Financial Times Specialists, Future PLC, Futuro Media, Gizmodo Media USA, HuffPost, Jalopnik at Static Media, Hearst Magazines, Inc., Jewish Currents, NowThis, Onion Inc., Salon, Slate, Talking Points Memo, The Intercept, The Root, Vox Media and VICE.
ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of more than 7,500 members working in film, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org.