Fusion became the latest digital media organization to unionize Friday, voting overwhelmingly to join the Writers Guild of America, East.
More than 82 percent of Fusion’s 69-person voting bloc cast their ballots in favor of unionization, according to a press release from the Writer’s Guild of America. In unionizing, Fusion joins their company brethren at Gizmodo Media Group and other digital media outlets including The Huffington Post, Guardian U.S. and Salon.
Many print newsrooms have long been unionized, but it was within the last two years that digital media outlets began organizing. Long hours, the ceaseless demands of social media and a turbulent business environment for digital newsrooms are consistent themes among union organizers.
The news was cause for jubilation for Fusion staffers on Twitter Friday.
WE WORKED REALLY HARD FOR THE FUSION UNION AND IT…WORKED! ?
— alana hope levinson (@alanalevinson) November 11, 2016
The people have spoken! #FusionUnion https://t.co/5nHTDJYewy @Variety pic.twitter.com/OPJK16b93L
— Anna Sterling (@AnnaMSterling) November 11, 2016
I want to share this screenshot I dug out of Slack. It's @nidhiprakash asking the question that basically kicked off the #FusionUnion drive. pic.twitter.com/WRXpTy0wq1
— Patrick Hogan (@phogan) November 11, 2016
Correction: An earlier version of this post put the votes in favor of unionization at 90 percent. In fact, it was 82 percent.
