GMG Union Reaches Fair Contract After First Open-Ended Strike in Digital Media History

The nearly 100-member Gizmodo Media Group (GMG) Union, covering workers at Gizmodo, The Root, Kotaku, Jezebel, Lifehacker, and Jalopnik, voted near unanimously to ratify its third collective bargaining agreement with the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and the union’s first contact with G/O Media. The Union's Bargaining Committee had announced on Sunday that they had reached a deal with G/O Media after four days of picketing in the first open-ended strike in digital media.

In a statement, the WGAE/GMG Union Bargaining Committee wrote, “After six days of striking and four days of strong physical and virtual picket lines, our bargaining unit is thrilled to have a new contract. Ninety-nine percent of the GMG Union voted to ratify the return-to-work agreement that raised wages for all union members, increased parental leave and minimum severance, required trans-inclusive health insurance, and beat back management’s attempt to control how we spoke about our working conditions. We were the first union in digital media to organize with the WGAE and the first to go on an open-ended strike. We won. We know our victory shows workers—and bosses—what is possible. Everyone deserves a union. We’ll never forget the unprecedented support shown to our members. Thank you.” Read more here, and find additional coverage in TheGamer and Deadline.