WGA East Members at Crooked Media Unanimously Ratify First Union Contract

NEW YORK, NY (August 15, 2024) – Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at Crooked Media unanimously ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. 

The 61-member Crooked Media bargaining unit won important, progressive gains and strong protections after more than a year of negotiations with management and a one-day walkout on August 5 at the politically progressive media network.

Founded in 2017, Crooked Media is led by founders Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor and Chief Executive Officer Lucinda Treat. Crooked Media is the podcast production company founded in 2017 by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor. The politically progressive media network is behind the popular shows Pod Save America, Lovett or Leave It and Pod Save the World, as well as their voter engagement effort Vote Save America.

The ratified three-year agreement includes an immediate 15% increase to base salary, just cause and successorship, protections against Generative Artificial Intelligence and improvements to healthcare and other benefits. 

Deal highlights include:

• A minimum starting salary of $80,000, effective upon ratification, rising to $84,000 in 2027; 
• An immediate 15% increase to base salary and a pro-rated bonus retroactive from Jan 1, 2024, to take the place of what had previously been an annual companywide bonus;
• Additional 6% increase on first 77k of salary; 3.5% increase on 77,001-100k of salary; 
• Annual minimum salary increases of 1.75% in the first year of the contract, 4% in the second and 3.75% in the third year of the contract;
• Crooked will give at least 30 days’ notice before using AI in any way that materially impacts bargaining unit employees. By March 31, 2025, Crooked will develop a public-facing AI policy; 
• Successorship language that requires any new employer to assume the union contract in most instances; 
• A PTO policy with a minimum 49 guaranteed days off, in addition to 20 weeks parental leave; 
• Crooked will cover $955/month toward member health insurance, increasing by 10% each year
• Crooked will offer at least one health care plan that meets the World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards;
• A minimum of 13 weeks severance;
• A good faith process for layoffs, including seniority, recall rights, retraining, and two weeks notice or additional severance;
• All members are guaranteed 12 hours minimum rest time between end of work and next day’s start; 
• Cell phone stipend, commuting reimbursement and working late in-office/on location meal & taxi reimbursements; 
• Eliminated non-competes, at-will provisions, and mandatory arbitration provisions from individual employment agreements;  
• Just cause;
• Union security;
• And Crooked must include an acknowledgment that the staff is unionized with the Writers Guild of America East at the end of all podcasts. 

In a statement, representatives from the Crooked Media Workers Union, said, “Today, members of the Crooked Media Workers Union ratified its first contract with a unanimous yes and 100 percent participation. It’s one thing to talk about the power of unions; it’s another to actually do the work. We’re pleased to have secured a fair, progressive contract, and for those wins to set a new standard for the industry at large. If we inspire workers at one other company to stand up together, fight for each other, and insist on what they deserve, this has all been worth it.”

WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen said, “Our members at Crooked Media won a contract that will set a benchmark for all workers in the podcast industry. We’re proud to see our members secure a hard-fought collective bargaining agreement that will support them in the essential work they do – especially in the middle of a presidential election cycle.” 

In addition to Crooked Media, the WGAE includes workers at podcast production companies Pineapple Street Studios, the iHeart Podcast Network, Pushkin Industries, The Ringer and Spotify Studios (formerly Gimlet and Parcast). 

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST

The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of 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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