WGA East files unfair labor lawsuit against Bustle Digital Group

The WGA East has filed an unfair labor lawsuit against Bustle Digital Group, alleging that three of the 39 union members recently fired there were fired “in retaliation for their concerted, protected union activities in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.”

Members of the guild’s BDG bargaining unit, dressed in union shirts and Napoleonic hats, today filed unfair labor practice allegations with the office of BDG CEO Bryan Goldberg – who paid $1.4 million for one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s rare double-sided hats in 2021.

“The company’s decision to fire three members of the WGA East unit for coordinated, protected activity has an overall chilling effect on all coordinated and protected union activity in violation of the NLRA,” the union said in its complaint, which today was submitted to the was submitted, said. to the National Industrial Relations Board.

Before this month’s layoffs, the guild represented more than 130 company employees across a variety of media outlets, including Gawker, Bustle, Inverse, Nylon, Elite Daily, Mic, Some Spider and Scary Mommy. Gawker was shut down for the second time on February 1st. The guild has been trying to get a deal with parent company Bustle Digital Group for nearly two years.

“Our goal is to negotiate a fair contract to ensure that the people we represent at BDG have a say in the jobs and protections they need,” says Lowell Peterson, executive director of WGA East. “We cannot and will not stand by and allow BDG to undermine the process through unfair labor practices.”

The guild claims that the layoffs “wrongfully affected three prominent and active union members. These three unit members did not quite fit into the categories BDG presented to WGA East officials – or the company’s public reporting – of the layoffs. However, all three regularly engaged in protected, coordinated activities on behalf of the union of which management was aware.

These three people are Collette Reitz, former editor at Elite Daily; Emma Sarran Webster, former editor at Mic; and Sophie Worm, former video editor at Some Spider. “Furthermore, the company did not give any reasons for its decision to fire three union activists,” the guild said.

The guild’s complaint also notes that on Feb. 6, members of the bargaining unit “engaged in coordinated, protected activity” using the company’s avatars and names on Slack — an instant messaging program — in “pro-union messages and pro-union” messages. to change. Posts” changed message”. .” According to the complaint, the company then blocked all employees from being posted and shut them all down The other way around Employees out of their Slack, “making it impossible to work. The retaliatory eviction of the company violates the NLRA.”

“After exercising our legal right to enforce a fair contract,” the BDG bargaining unit said in a statement, “management stepped in The other way around Team from Slack – causing the team to be unable to work for part of the morning. Management also indefinitely banned employees from posting generally on BDG slack, where we had previously sent messages demanding a contract, and removed all evidence of our protest. Today, we deliver unfair labor practice charges, specifically related to illegal retaliation, to BDG CEO Bryan Goldberg’s office while donning union shirts and Napoleon hats — as Goldberg was lucky to pocket more than $1 million on a hat spend, but he frankly refused to negotiate with the employees who create all revenue-generating content. We hope that our special Valentine’s Day card will encourage management to continue with fair negotiations.”

Deadline has reached out to BDG and will update this story if and when they wish to comment.