BuzzFeed votes to unionize after layoffs
New York (CNN Business)After a crushing round of layoffs that sent shockwaves through the newsroom, BuzzFeed's editorial staff announced on Tuesday that they have formed a union to grapple with the threats looming over the media industry.
Employees have informed BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith of their intentions, according to the NewsGuild of New York — the union with which BuzzFeed is organizing. NewsGuild said that more than 90% of "eligible editorial employees signed on to the union effort."
In a statement Tuesday, Smith said, "We look forward to meeting with the organizers to discuss a way toward voluntarily recognizing their union."
BuzzFeed, once a darling in the digital media space, laid off 15% of its workforce last month. Employees took to Medium to write an open letter to the company's leadership team to express anger over BuzzFeed's decision not to pay laid-off staffers for earned paid time off. CEO Jonah Peretti eventually relented after the backlash.
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