The 2019 trend of newsrooms unionizing shows no sign of running out of steam as a new year begins.
The latest is Sports Illustrated, with the majority of its staff revealing today that they intend to form a union with the NewsGuild of New York and are demanding voluntary recognition from its new operator, Seattle-based media distribution company Maven.
The move comes after a tumultuous past nine months for one of the most iconic names in sports media, beginning in May when apparel-focused Authentic Brands Group paid Meredith Corp. $110 million for the title.
That deal allowed the latter to continue to operate the magazine and web site for at least two years, but just three weeks later, there was another change as ABG farmed out operations to Maven in a $45 million licensing agreement.
Maven wasted no time making cuts, instructing Meredith to lay off more than 40 staffers as part of the sale — a move employees believe puts the future of the publication at risk.
“Decisions made by new management over the last few months have put SI’s reputation and long-term health at risk. The October layoffs at Maven’s direction gutted our newsroom. Two dozen employees who lost their jobs were women
The latest is Sports Illustrated, with the majority of its staff revealing today that they intend to form a union with the NewsGuild of New York and are demanding voluntary recognition from its new operator, Seattle-based media distribution company Maven.
The move comes after a tumultuous past nine months for one of the most iconic names in sports media, beginning in May when apparel-focused Authentic Brands Group paid Meredith Corp. $110 million for the title.
That deal allowed the latter to continue to operate the magazine and web site for at least two years, but just three weeks later, there was another change as ABG farmed out operations to Maven in a $45 million licensing agreement.
Maven wasted no time making cuts, instructing Meredith to lay off more than 40 staffers as part of the sale — a move employees believe puts the future of the publication at risk.
“Decisions made by new management over the last few months have put SI’s reputation and long-term health at risk. The October layoffs at Maven’s direction gutted our newsroom. Two dozen employees who lost their jobs were women