Thrillist Overwhelmingly Votes to Unionize with Writers Guild of America, East
Thrillist Overwhelmingly Votes to Unionize with Writers Guild of America, East
(NEW YORK, NY (March 22, 2017) –The editorial staff at Thrillist, a popular entertainment, food, culture and news site, have overwhelmingly voted to join the Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO (WGAE).
The 65-person Thrillist bargaining unit voted 95% in favor of unionization. The 24-hour online vote came after management agreed to recognize the union and to bargain collectively pending the online ballot.
“There is a powerful movement building in digital news, and the creative professionals at Thrillist are a vital part of it,” said Lowell Peterson, Executive Director of the Writers Guild of America, East. “We look forward to working together to craft a collective bargaining agreement that addresses their needs and aspirations.”
The Thrillist Organizing Committee said, “We’re elated with the voting results, which affirmed what we’ve known for weeks: Our colleagues overwhelmingly support the Thrillist Union. Now, through collective action, we have the power to achieve the goals we set forth in our organizing letter. As new members of the WGA East, we look forward to good-faith contract negotiations with management. And we will continue working hard to ensure the Thrillist video, edit, and distribution teams have a voice in a constantly evolving industry.”
In the last two years, the WGAE has organized over 500 writers and creative professionals in digital media including the staffs of Gizmodo Media Group, the Huffington Post, VICE, MTV News, Salon, Fusion, The Root and ThinkProgress.
ABOUT WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, EAST
The Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media and broadcast news. 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.
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