The move came after the staff sent a letter to VICE founder Shane Smith requesting that the company recognize their decision to unionize, and the company’s management immediately agreed to come to the bargaining table.
Advertisement
Writers at Vice Media have voted to unionize, said people familiar with the matter, giving organized labor its biggest foothold yet in digital media newsrooms. Gawker Media and Salon Media also recently voted to join the WGA East.
Earlier this month, the Guardian’s US-based editorial writers voted unanimously to join the News Guild/Communications Workers of America. Other digital media companies are believed to be contemplating similar efforts.
The Vice staffers will join the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), which represents professionals working in TV, film and online media.
It’s unclear how many writers will be unionizing at Vice, which is valued at .5 billion, but the company has more than 1,500 employees worldwide, including 700 in the U.S., of which less than 10 percent are writers.
For all the praise lavished on it, Vice has been criticized for high editorial turnover and low pay for its writers and producers. At Gawker, 118 employees were eligible for the union.
Advertisement
“We are proud of the work we do here at Vice”, the employees said in the letter. A source told the Journal that the average for non-management employees is now close to $70,000.
