WGA East Members at Future PLC Ratify Second Union Contract

NEW YORK, NY (DECEMBER 13, 2023) – Writers Guild of America East members at Future PLC, the multi-platform media company, have overwhelmingly ratified their second union contract with 98% approval from voting members. 

The newly ratified collective bargaining agreement makes economic gains across all positions, and secures some of the first contractual language granting journalists protections from generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

Highlights from the contract include:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) language: New article grants protection from layoffs due to AI, protection from byline misuse on articles using generative AI, and offers training on AI tools at the Employee’s request; 
• Pregnancy Loss Leave: 5 additional sick days granted for travel out of restrictive states for any pregnancy care. Miscarriage and stillbirth now eligible for bereavement leave;
• Increased minimum salaries for all positions; 
• A guaranteed minimum 3.5% pay increase in the first year, and a minimum $1500 raise for each of the following two years;
• All employees will receive a $1000 ratification bonus spread out over 2 years;
• $5000 minimum geographic salary differential for all positions based in premium locations. Chicago added as a premium location (in addition to NY, NJ & CA);
• At least 2 weeks notice required for layoffs, or 2 weeks of extra severance pay in lieu of notice;
• Union Security;
• Just Cause. 

Future PLC’s unit includes the editorial, social, photo, copy, and video staff at GamesRadar+, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Laptop Mag, Live Science, Marie Claire, Newsarama, PC Gamer, Space.com, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, Tom’s Hardware.

The Future PLC Bargaining Committee said: “The Future U.S. Union has just ratified its second contract, with resounding approval from 98% of our voting members! After a challenging bargaining period in which management was slow to counter our demands and aimed to roll-back wins from our first contract, we’re so proud to have achieved new and improved protections around a number of our membership’s top priorities.”

“In particular,” the members continued, “we hope the contract will serve to protect the reproductive health care rights of our unit; help members make ends meet in a time when the cost of living is soaring; and guard our work against unethical uses of AI. We also hope our contract will serve as a stepping stone for the rest of WGAE, such that other shops can build upon our language and introduce new standards of protection that will raise up the union and journalism as a whole.” 

“We are proud to have built upon Future PLC’s first union contract with both economic gains, and meaningful protections from Artificial Intelligence,” said Sara David, WGA East’s Vice President of Online Media. “We hope this contractual language on AI helps set an industry standard, and sends a clear message: journalism is human!” 

In addition to Future PLC, the WGA East’s Online Media Sector includes BDG, Chalkbeat, Committee to Protect Journalists, CNET, Fast Company, Gizmodo Media Group, Hearst Magazines, HuffPost, Inc., Jewish Currents, NowThis, Onion Inc., Refinery29, Salon, Slate, Talking Points Media, The Dodo, The Intercept, Thrillist, VICE, and Vox Media. The Guild represents 7,000 workers in film, television, news, podcasts, and online media.

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