The Ringer editorial staff as announced today that they are unionizing, in conjunction with the WGA East. Their letter of intent can be read here, and they also tweeted the following thread:
We, the Ringer editorial staff, are proud to work at such a creative digital media company. We want to ensure that its promising future is a sustainable one that values the contributions of all of its employees. The foundation of our brand lies in the hard work of editors, writers, podcasters, producers, fact checkers, copy editors, illustrators, designers, and social media editors.
Across the areas of sports, pop culture, and technology, our reporting and analysis has always championed the rights of talented athletes and creators. As our company continues to expand, we believe our workplace should embody the values displayed in our coverage. By unionizing, we hope to strengthen our already amazing workplace culture and ensure that everyone who works at The Ringer, from video to editorial, from senior staffers to entry-level hires, receives necessary support, protection, and fair compensation.
The thread concluded:
We’re proudly standing with the thousands of other digital professionals in the media, podcasting, and video worlds who have recently organized. We’re stronger together! We hope that The Ringer will recognize our union so we can begin the collective-bargaining process and start working toward a more equitable company.
The WGA East also represents editorial employees at Vox, G/O Media (the former Gawker sites), Vice, Gimlet Media, and Buzzfeed.
We have reached out to a spokesperson for Bill Simmons for comment and will update if and when we hear back.
