Union officials confirmed Thursday that the editorial staff for the progressive online news outlet ThinkProgress has become the latest in a growing number media groups to unionize.
In the past year, the Writers Guild of America, East has made significant gains organizing employees in media. The editorial staff at ThinkProgress has become the latest in a field which includes Vice Media, Salon Media Group and Gawker Media, among others.
“The men and women who write, edit and produce stories at ThinkProgress join hundreds of others in digital media who recognize the power of collective bargaining,” Guild Executive Director Lowell Peterson said in a statement. “They are committed to working together to build sustainable careers crafting stories that are honest and insightful.”
Before confirmation from the union, the successful vote was first reported by The New York Times Wednesday night. Not long after, The Huffington Post said that management would recognize the union without problem.
In previous cases, some recently unionized media outlets have faced resistance from management. When Salon employees voted, it took management several weeks amid significant media pressure to recognize the vote. This despite Salon’s consistent praise of the right to organize.
ThinkProgress is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. The Center for American Progress believes in promoting the ideals of progressivism. In a letter, the editorial staff reminded management at ThinkProgress of its own praise of unionizing.
“Both ThinkProgress and the Center for American Progress long publicized the many benefits of unionization for individual workers, the middle and working class, and the economy as a whole,” the letter stated. “Here at ThinkProgress, we believe having a union will help us protect and elevate the good conditions we currently enjoy in our workplace, both for ourselves and for all who come after us.”
“Organizing drives at Gawker, Salon, Vice, The Guardian and Al Jazeera have inspired us, because we know their fight for a voice in the workplace is our fight too,” the letter continued. “We’re proud to be part of this moment and this movement in our industry and hope our participation helps digital media workers everywhere.”
The growing trend of media outlets unionizing is a big shift for the industry. In the past, employees at media companies rarely joined unions.
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