Scientific American Union Holds Rally After Layoffs and Springer Nature’s Sale of Historic Science Publication; Demand Recognition from New Owners LabX

Workers at Scientific American, represented by the Writers Guild of America East, held a rally Tuesday following Springer Nature’s decision to sell the publication and immediately lay off staff. The 180-year-old science publication known for its authoritative science journalism is the longest-running continuously published magazine in the country.

The rally and picket outside of Springer Nature offices in Manhattan featured speakers from the Scientific American Union bargaining unit, New York City Assemblymembers Claire Valdez and Grace Lee, NYC CLC Secretary-Treasurer Janella Hinds, Manhattan  Deputy Borough President  Miesha Smith, and WGAE Executive Director Sam Wheeler.

Last week, the international scientific publisher Springer Nature sold Scientific American to LabX Media Group. 15 members of staff were immediately laid off, and salaries of remaining workers were cut by as much as 30 percent. Staff at Scientific American were unionizing with the WGAE in an effort to improve the publication’s operation, bolster its editorial independence and secure a sustainable future. The company made the sale three days before the election vote was counted, after which the NLRB confirmed the union voted 31 to 1 in favor of the union. Springer Nature’s actions constitute blatant union-busting.  

In a statement, the Scientific American Union said, “We are calling on our new owners, LabX Media Group, to immediately recognize our unit and meet us at the bargaining table to work together to steer a sustainable future of Scientific American—including, but going far beyond, a commitment to respecting our editorial independence.  We have already developed a number of proposals for making our journalism more profitable that we look forward to discussing in these negotiations.” Read more here.