The Dodo Ratifies First Union Contract with the Writers Guild of America, East

The Writers Guild of America, East announced this week that the video, editorial, social and content acquisition staffs at The Dodo—the digital news site focused on animals and animal rights—voted unanimously in favor of ratifying their first union contract.

The Dodo is the second Group Nine Media subsidiary to unionize with the WGA, East: the lifestyle publication Thrillist ratified their first Guild contract in October after a lengthy negotiations period and the first-ever strike authorization vote in a digital media site.

The road to a union contract at the Dodo began April 30, 2018 when the publication’s staff announced that they were organizing with the Guild. In their “Why We’re Organizing” letter, the staff cited issues like transparency; editorial standards; diversity; equitable salary, compensation, and benefits; and guidelines around performance, disciplinary action, and severance as primary motivators behind their decision to organize. On May 11, 2018, the staff at The Dodo voted 35-4 in favor of organizing with the WGAE. Read more here.