Virtual Walkout by WGAE Members at BDG on International Women’s Day
NEW YORK, NY (March 8, 2023) – Today at 1pm ET / 10am PT, on International Women’s Day, Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) members at BDG (Bustle Digital Group) will go on an one-hour virtual walkout, and livestream the action on their Twitter account at https://twitter.com/bdgunion.
In a statement, the BDG Union said, “Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, WGAE members from the BDG Union are staging a walkout in solidarity with our colleagues affected by recent waves of layoffs, and to demand a fair contract. For over 2 years, BDG management has dragged its feet in bargaining, while at the same time eliminating roles held by members of our unit. So today from 1pm – 2pm Eastern, we will be ceasing work and holding a virtual rally to give voice to the women that are disproportionately affected by company decisions, including writers from Bustle, Romper, Elite Daily, Nylon, TZR, Scary Mommy, and Inverse. We’re honored to be joined by NYC City Councilwoman and Gender Justice Chair, Tiffany Cabán, as well as speakers from the Freelance Solidarity Project, WGAE Leadership, and our allies in the national labor movement. The time has come for Bryan Goldberg to stop using women as props in photoshoots, and to start recognizing his employees’ value with a fair contract!”
The virtual walkout will feature speakers including WGAE President Michael Winship, WGAE Vice President of Online Media Sara David, and NYC Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, in addition to many current members of the BDG bargaining unit, as well as some unit members who were recently laid off by the Company.
The virtual walkout is timed to today’s International Women’s Day. When Bryan Goldberg founded Bustle, he talked about the need to raise women’s voices, but he and his Company have been refusing to negotiate a first contract in good faith with the mostly women’s workforce of the Bustle Digital Group for over two years. BDG is known for its women-centric brands like Elite Daily, Bustle, Romper, The Zoe Project (TZR), and Nylon. All these women’s brands have seen dozens of women being laid off in the last year.
The BDG Union’s virtual walkout is a message of solidarity with women workers and a call for BDG to come to the table in good faith and negotiate a fair contract with good wages, real benefits for all, and fair severance and protection from layoffs.
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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