Vice Writers Have Reportedly Unionized
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that writers at Williamsburg-based Vice Media have voted to unionize:
The writers will be joining the Writers Guild of America, East, and Vice’s management has been informed, the people said. Vice’s attorney has already responded to the union saying the company is prepared to recognize it, one of the people said. The number of employees who have voted to unionize was not immediately clear.
The Vice writers have not yet released a statement regarding their vote and what they hope a union will accomplish. However the Journal adds (via an anonymous source) that Vice salaries* “have since gone up to an average of just under $70,000” after the company endured widespread criticism for underpaying writers—which suggests compensation will likely be the centerpiece of the writers’ collective bargaining agreement.
The vote makes Vice the fourth major online media company in New York City whose editorial staffers have formed a union this year. The others are Salon, Guardian US, and Gawker Media, the last of which voted to unionize on June 4.