WGA East Members at Pineapple Street Studios Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract with Audacy

NEW YORK (July 22, 2024) – Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at Pineapple Street Studios, owned by Audacy, overwhelmingly ratified their first collective bargaining agreement.

The 22-member Pineapple Street Studios bargaining unit includes the producers, editors, engineers and staff who make award-winning podcasts such as “Classy,” Wondery’s “Ghost Story,” Paper Kite’s “Million Dollar Advice,” and HBO’s “Succession Podcast.”

The unit ratified a three-year contract that includes the hard-fought protections of just cause and successorship, critical protections against Generative Artificial Intelligence and increased salary minimums – effective immediately.

Deal highlights include:

• A minimum starting salary of $72,000, effective upon ratification;
• Annual minimum salary increases of 3% in the first year of the contract, and 2% in the second and third year of the contract;
• Generative Artificial Intelligence will not be used to perform bargaining unit work without the express consent of the Union;
• Successorship language that requires the employer to recognize and bargain with the union representing a seller’s employees in the event of a sale;
• Improved time off including expanding bereavement leave from 3 days to 10 days;
• One week of severance per year of service with a minimum of 12 weeks;
• For both internal and external candidates, edit tests and other involved production work during the job interview process will be paid at no less than the minimum rate for that role
• Codified current flexible remote work policy. If the Company intends to change the parameters of flexible remote work environment, the employee must be given at least three months’ notice (6 months if it requires interstate relocation);
• Eliminated non-competes and NDAs for harassment;
• Just cause;
• Union security.

“After nearly a year and a half of negotiations, we are thrilled to have a contract that sets industry standards in both pay and policy,” said Pineapple Street Union member Emerald O’Brien. “While this contract is exceptional in many ways, we feel strongly that, in an industry dominated by massive corporations, no podcast worker should be receiving less than what we’ve been able to agree to here.”

Pineapple Street Union member Ben Goldberg added “This contract will make Pineapple a better and more equitable place to work for all of its employees, and we could not have won this contract without the steadfast solidarity of our entire unit.”

“Our members at Pineapple Street Studios held strong for critical union protections like just cause, successorship, and a voice in the implementation of AI,” added WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. “We’re proud to see these hardworking podcast workers secure a strong first contract that will help them build stable careers.”

In addition to Pineapple Street Studios, the WGAE includes workers at podcast production companies Crooked Media, 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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