BDG Union Statement on Recent Layoffs

NEW YORK, NY (November 8, 2022) – The staff union at BDG, organized with the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), issued the following statement regarding recent layoffs at the company:

“As the union representatives for nearly 200 employees at Bustle Digital Group, the BDG Bargaining Committee is very disappointed in BDG’s decision to eliminate the roles of 21 of our colleagues, all of whom were working within the company’s part-time writer model.

“While we’re glad that some part-time writers will be joining the company as full-time employees, the layoffs underscore our need for a fair union contract, with protections for severance and just cause. In our two years at the bargaining table, the union has advocated for people to receive higher wages and better benefits in the positions they occupy, and we will continue to do so.

“We urge BDG to bargain in good faith over these layoffs, and to close our union contract with labor conditions that meet the industry standard for both full- and part-time workers, with liveable wages and complete benefits packages.”

The union has been bargaining a first contract for BDG for two years.

The BDG staff union can be found on social media at instagram.com/bdgunion and twitter.com/bdgunion.

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, EAST
The Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, broadcast and streaming 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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