The MSNBC newsroom has voted to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. According to a National Labor Relations Board tally, 141 editorial staffers voted to have the union represent their unit in collective bargaining and 58 voted against it. (THR)
The 300-member bargaining unit includes writers, producers, booking producers, and other editorial staff at every program airing on MSNBC and The Choice on Peacock. The network and the union are now expected to sit down at the bargaining table to work out a first-time contract. (Deadline)
The organizing campaign went public in June, saying a majority of workers had signed a letter requesting that MSNBC, part of Comcast Corp., voluntarily recognize and negotiate with their union. The network’s president, Rashida Jones, declined that request, arguing in a memo reported by The New York Times that “our employees should be able to make such an important decision through a standard election process.” (Bloomberg)
WGA East already represents newsrooms at ABC News and CBS News, as well as several local broadcast outlets in New York. The union has had success in organizing several digital newsrooms in recent years, including Vox, Vice, Slate and The Ringer. (Variety)