The National Writers Union and all of our freelance members want to congratulate the staff writers and editors at Gawker Media on their overwhelming vote to join the Writers Guild of America-East. As workers in the creative economy, we know that all too often our work is undervalued by those who profit from it the most. We also know that the best way to share in the wealth that our labor creates is to organize.
The Writers Guild of America-East understands this more than most. Their members are among the highest paid writers in the world, because generations of writers before us did the hard work of organizing, bargaining, and even going on strike to build the foundation that today’s film and TV writer’s careers are built upon. Gawker writers are taking the first step in what can be a movement of digital writers that will also be able to share in the wealth that we create.
We are proud to stand with you and be a part of that movement. Getting there won’t be easy. But if we don’t follow the lead of Gawker Media staff writers and editors, we will never get there at all.
NWU is the sole provider of IFJ Press Passes to freelance journalists in the U.S.