Pioneering politics and culture publication Slate became the latest media company to unionize after a majority of employees voted on Tuesday to join up with Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO.
The union said in a release that Slate management accepted the results of the vote. Forty-five employees voted in favor of tapping WGAE to represent employees in collective bargaining, and seven voted against the measure.
“We’re thrilled by the result of today’s vote, and grateful that Slate management agreed to let us conduct it in an independent and fair fashion,” Slate‘s union said in a statement on Twitter.
“We look forward to working together to craft a contract that addresses their concerns and ensures that they participate in the decisions that affect their professional lives,” WGAE executive director Lowell Peterson said in a statement announcing the vote.
In a statement to management last year, Slate‘s union-organizing committee described the goal of the effort. “Digital media is an industry in constant flux, and given Slate’s recent growth, we feel that now is the time to solidify certain protections and rights that will not only ensure that our workers are fairly compensated, but will help to create better industry standards and make Slate more competitive in the field,” it read.
Unionization is a growing trend in the media industry, particularly as companies have been hit hard by declines in advertising revenue, causing them to lay off employees. Los Angeles Times employees voted to form a union, with NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America, late last week, and Vox Media management recently recognized an organizing effort at the digital media company.
