Former The Onion Contributors and Staffers Support the Onion Union’s Fight for Fair Contract
NEW YORK and CHICAGO (January 24, 2024) – With their contract expiring on January 31st, Writers Guild of America East members at Onion, Inc. (The Onion, The A.V. Club, Deadspin, The Takeout) were joined at the bargaining table today by WGA East Council members Josh Gondelman and Zhubin Parang, along with WGA West Board member Adam Conover, to deliver a petition to management at G/O Media signed by former The Onion contributors and staffers supporting The Onion Union’s fight for a fair contract.
The petition reads:
As former staffers and contributors to The Onion, we are writing to voice our support for The Onion Union’s fight for a fair, equitable, and just contract.
Having experienced firsthand how tirelessly the members of The Onion Union work to provide exceptional journalistic work, artistic content, and satirical entertainment, we know how crucial it is that we ensure the protection not only of their rights and livelihood, but of The Onion as an institution.
We believe a fair contract is not just a benefit for writers, but a necessity to sustain a thriving and diverse media industry — particularly in an age when generative AI poses an existential threat to journalists, artists, and comedy writers.
The Onion is also more than the just sum of its hilarious parts. Generations of comedy writers got their start at The Onion — learning how to pitch in the room or online, how to master deadline-driven writing and editing, how to be consistently funny on the page. It’s why so many of the writers’ rooms of the most popular comedies on TV and in theaters have former Onion staffers and contributors working in them. The industry-wide effect this one institution has had in comedy is nothing short of astounding.
We urge G/O Media Management to ensure that the hard work by the members of The Onion Union is fairly recognized and that they receive the progressive contract they deserve
The petition was signed by Michael Brumm, Adam Conover, Sean Crespo, Devin Delliquanti, Django Gold, Josh Gondelman, Geoff Haggerty, Krister Johnson, Aaron Kheifets, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Koff, Chris Kula, Sam Means, Arthur Meyer, Zhubin Parang, Joe Randazzo, Scott Sherman, and Dan Wilbur.
On January 12th, 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.
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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