The Onion’s Staff is Ready to Strike
New York, NY and Chicago, IL (January 12, 2024) – The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) announced today that 97% of members at Onion, Inc. signed a pledge to strike if they do not reach a fair agreement with parent company G/O Media before their current contract expires on January 31.
The pledge, delivered to G/O Media management at a bargaining session on January 11, 2024, was clear, stating, “We are prepared to strike.”
The WGAE and The Onion Union—a 34-member unit that comprises the creative staff at The Onion, The A.V. Club, Deadspin, and The Takeout—began negotiations for their second union contract with G/O Media (and third union contract overall) on November 20, 2023.
“This strike pledge reflects the mandate from our members to address several pressing workplace issues, especially the need for fair pay and AI protections,” said Marnie Shure, Managing Editor of The Takeout and member of WGAE’s Onion Inc. Union bargaining committee. ”Employees of G/O Media deserve salaries that keep pace with the rising cost of living, and we require assurance that AI-generated content will not jeopardize our employment now or in the future. We are dedicated stewards of some of the internet’s most beloved legacy brands, and we take that work seriously. It’s time for G/O Media to invest in its people.”
Sara David, WGAE’s Vice President of Online Media, said, “The entire membership of the Writers Guild of America East stands in solidarity with the Onion Inc. Union. The Guild will fight to ensure they get a fair contract that addresses existential issues around successorship and AI, the latter of which is critical given G/O Media has already moved forward with using AI to replace workers and posting factually inaccurate articles.”
The complete text of the strike pledge is below.
Dear G/O Media Management:
We, the undersigned members of the Onion Inc. Union, are committed to a collective bargaining agreement that reflects the realities of the economy, our changing industry, and the issues most important to our unit. These include competitive compensation, raises that keep up with cost of living, AI protections, and a slate of benefits that align with G/O Media’s stated interest in worker well-being.
I stand with my colleagues and I will vote yes in a strike vote, if my bargaining team calls for a strike. Our No-Strike clause in our contract expires on January 31, 2024 at midnight.
We are prepared to strike.
In addition to Onion, Inc., G/O Media owns Gizmodo Media Group (GMG), whose staff is also represented by the Writers Guild of America East. The GMG Union includes workers at Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Quartz, and The Root.
ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO (WGAE) is a labor union representing 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.
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