Buzzfeed employees are fed up waiting for their management to recognize the union they voted for months ago. Today, more than 100 employees in four different offices around the country walked out to demand that the union be recognized.
BuzzFeed News staffers across the US are walking out today to demand that BuzzFeed management return to the table and recognize our union on fair terms that reflect the way our newsroom works. pic.twitter.com/FWLqbCv0qk
— BuzzFeed News Union ✊ (@bfnewsunion) June 17, 2019
Naturally, there is some disagreement over who is to blame for the delay, with the union blaming management:
BuzzFeed has offered us an unacceptable take-it-or-leave-it deal and walked away from the negotiating table. We demand that they continue working with us to reach a voluntary recognition agreement that does this newsroom justice.
— BuzzFeed News Union ✊ (@bfnewsunion) June 17, 2019
We, the BuzzFeed News employees, are walking out to once again demonstrate to @buzzfeedben, @peretti, and the company’s management that our newsroom is united in our effort to unionize and that we will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine us ✊ #1u
— BuzzFeed News Union ✊ (@bfnewsunion) June 17, 2019
Meanwhile, management says they made a good faith offer two weeks ago which the union rejected. From HuffPost:
BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti, in an email to staff on Monday, claimed a deal had not yet been finalized because of additional demands by the union, and said management made an offer two weeks ago that was turned down.
“Despite what you may hear to the contrary, we continue to have ongoing, daily communication between our lawyers, and we are confident the proposal provides a strong basis on which to move forward with the collective bargaining process,” Peretti said in the email, obtained by CNN’s Oliver Darcy. “Our offer is a good one and it remains on the table today.”
CNN’s Oliver Darcy published the full letter from Buzzfeed’s Peretti.
BuzzFeed CEO @peretti just sent this note out to staff about today's BuzzFeed News walkout: "Since we made our offer on June 4, news staff have refused to accept it, and instead are seeking to impose additional demands that threaten our progress around voluntary recognition." pic.twitter.com/okpDEMpUQA
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 17, 2019
One of the outstanding issues is that Buzzfeed management wants a list of job titles which will be covered by the bargaining agreement. But the union is concerned that such a list would give the company power to undermine the union by simply changing job titles or giving people lateral transfers out of covered jobs. Anyway, since this is Buzzfeed, let’s not take this too seriously. Instead, here’s a video of some would-be union members people moving an inflatable rat:
https://twitter.com/HilaryRuss/status/1140694650996568066
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