Less than two months after declaring their intention to unionize, employees at Vox Media, including SB Nation staffers, have obtained recognition from company management.
The Vox Media Union tweeted Thursday morning that it will now “have a seat at the table to advocate for the needs and priorities of creative staff.”
“Though it’s taken some time, we’re glad that Vox Media has lived up to its stated values and respected the wishes of its employees,” the union’s organizing committee wrote in a statement.
We have good news. #voxunion pic.twitter.com/DS5jGwbiYM
— Vox Media Union (@vox_union) January 11, 2018
When Vox employees first announced their plans to unionize, they stated their desire for consistency in titles, raises and bonuses; increased transparency; greater diversity and input in major decisions.
“A Vox Media union will give us the means to maintain everything we love about working for this company, and to have a collective voice when we address anything that may change or founder,” they wrote. “We look forward to bringing Vox Media employees together as an organized unit, and bringing that unit closer to management at the bargaining table and beyond.”
On Thursday, several SB Nation writers were among the Vox employees to celebrate recognition of the union.
https://twitter.com/MattSBN/status/951448562436538369
I am so glad to wake up to good news for once #solidarityforever https://t.co/ETsZZ4frXy
— Marc Normandin (@Marc_Normandin) January 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/951450993413316608
Though SB Nation, as one of Vox’s eight brands, is included in the union, writers at the site’s numerous team-specific sites are not. Members of the union have stated their desire to advocate for team-site writers, who generate much of SB Nation’s traffic but receive only small stipends or no payment at all. An ex-site manager is currently suing Vox Media, claiming she was an employee and should have been compensated as one.
About Alex Putterman
Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.