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ALT GMG Union Statement on Today’s Layoffs Today, with no warning, G/O Media laid off 23 people across multiple outlets, including; Deadspin, Gizmodo, io9, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, The Onion, The Onion Art Department, and Quartz. These layoffs are cruel and entirely preventable. Jezebel, which has been a pillar of fearless journalism and important cultural commentary since 2007, was shut down entirely. G/O Media management failed to undertake the range of cost-cutting options it had—like furloughs, voluntary reduced hours, staff buyouts, and executive pay cuts—before laying off employees. Some of these layoffs come immediately after sites have made other hires for the same pay rate, raising questions about whether the layoffs had any forethought or were merely done at the whims of a capricious CEO.
ALT It is particularly egregious that G/O Media chose to lay off journalists whose skills and beats are so valuable to the current political and cultural moment. By laying off writers and investigative reporters who focus on bodily autonomy, technology, climate change, and culture, the company has left itself unprepared to deal with the biggest stories of our modern world—stories that require a deft, knowledgeable hand in reporting. These cuts affect not only our network, but every reader who relied on this expert coverage to understand their own changing rights and place within the world.
ALT The layoffs, and specifically the closure of Jezebel, also underscore fundamental flaws in the ad-supported media model, where concerns about “brand safety” limit supporting content about the biggest, most important stories of the day—stories that generate enormous traffic because people read and share them. Rather than rethink this model, G/O management has decided to shutter the brand entirely because of its strategic and commercial ineptitude. Jezebel was a good website, and the journalists who worked there were exemplary, brilliant, and deserved better than to have their site shuttered with no warning. Each of the journalists affected were experts in their beat, and have worked for years to develop their voice and skills. They did not deserve to be arbitrarily laid off due to “restructuring” when options remained available to G/O Media. Some of the journalists affected include:
ALT From Gizmodo, Mack DeGeurin @mackdegeurin; [email protected] Nikki Main @nlmain1; [email protected] Angely Mercado [email protected] From io9, Linda Codega @lincodega; [email protected] From Jalopnik, Kyle Hyatt @kylejhyatt; [email protected] From Jezebel, Kady Ruth Ashcraft @kady_ruth; [email protected] Kylie Cheung @kylietcheung; [email protected] Caitlin Cruz @CaitlinRCruz; [email protected] Audra Heinrichs @audraheinrichs; [email protected] Rich Juzwiak @richjuz; [email protected] Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas; [email protected] Lauren Tousignant @L_tousignant; [email protected] From Kotaku, Ashley Bardhan @ashleybardhan; [email protected] Isaiah Colbert @shineyezehuhh; [email protected]
ALT NEW YORK, NY — Freelance workers in production departments for TV commercials across the United States are set to win voluntary recognition of their union after a neutral third party confirmed a majority of these workers signed cards indicating they wish to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). The organizing workers include an estimated 5,000 Production Assistants (PA’s), Line Producers, Production Supervisors, Assistant Production Supervisors and Bidding Producers whose work facilitates TV Commercials seen by millions each year and is produced under the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP). These workers came together to address low pay, unsustainable hours, lack of reasonable rest, lack of employer-funded healthcare and retirement benefits, ineligibility for overtime pay, and limited access to safety and training, among other issues.
