“As a union, our collective bottom line is the workers who prioritize the public interest and the communities they serve.”
NEW YORK – Today Gannett notified workers that it intends to shut down Reviewed, its product review site, effective this November. Gannett’s actions follow months of union-busting by the company with workers engaging in multiple walkouts as they bargained for a first contract.
Reviewed Union members, part of the NewsGuild of New York, overwhelmingly voted to unionize in March 2023 and struck for one week in July to protest bad-faith bargaining including unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment and the Company’s refusal to bargain over economics. The Guild had previously filed charges over Gannett’s failure to provide requested information needed for bargaining and interference with employees’ rights under the NLRA when it alleged that Gannett made promises of benefits and/or threats of adverse consequences to an employee during a union election. The Reviewed Union is one of more than 50 Gannett bargaining units represented by The NewsGuild-CWA, all of whom have faced similar struggles against a company that prioritizes profit over people.
In response to Gannett’s news announced today, union leaders released the following statements.
From Reviewed Editorial Unit Chair, Madison Durham:
“The Reviewed Union is extremely proud of the work that we’ve done, the solidarity that we’ve built, and the work that we’ll continue to do, together. We’ll continue to stand with each other for justice for all Reviewed Union members and for media workers everywhere.”
From The NewsGuild of New York President, Susan DeCarava:
“We are deeply troubled by Gannett’s decision to shutter Reviewed. We are concerned for the future of dozens of workers represented by The NewsGuild of New York working at Reviewed, and about the broader impact of this announcement on the media industry at large.
The Guild-represented workers at Reviewed have consistently held the line against the unethical use of AI and management’s disregard for maintaining journalistic standards. Instead of relying on short-term gimmicks and ignoring the concerns over business practices raised by workers, Gannett should have realized that effective solutions come from working with employees, not against them. And in this regard, Gannett management has consistently failed.
This is why it’s so important for media workers to unionize. Corporate bottom lines privilege profitability all the time. As a union, our collective bottom line is the workers who prioritize the public interest and the communities they serve. Our members are proud of the work they’ve done at Reviewed.”
The NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss released the following statement:
“Gannett has lost its way. Instead of building a modern news company, Gannett continues to put money over journalists and our readers. Today’s announcement follows a long list of unfair labor practices, inept management and stalling at the bargaining table.
Reviewed journalists unionized to fix pay disparities, rein in out-of-control healthcare costs and prevent unjust terminations. Gannett’s failure to respect its journalists hurts readers and shareholders alike. More than 8,000 media workers and journalists have unionized in the past decade to protect each other and make sure news companies are sustainable for the American people. We will continue to fight for every journalist and media worker in the face of corporate greed.”