Journalists from G/O Media publications go on strike

After failed contract negotiations, journalists from G/O Media publications including Gizmodo and Jezebel went on strike on Tuesday. The employees protested in front of the company's New York offices. GMG Union represents the 100+ workers from Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker and The Root. The union said on Twitter that it was asking people to not read content from their publications or contribute to it. 

The workers started an open-ended strike after their contract ended on Monday night. Both sides were unable to come to an agreement on many issues including wage raises and healthcare benefits. GMG Union, which is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America said in a statement that all of its workers voted in favor of the strike after bargaining with G/O Media in late January. 

The union is asking the company to maintain its cap on healthcare costs, add a trans-inclusive health coverage plan and guarantee minimum wage increases. Lisa Marie Segarra, a member of the GMG Union and the editor at Kotaku said that striking workers were now locked out of the company's Slack messaging accounts and their email accounts. Segarra says, "The whole reason we’re going on strike is many of us are underpaid, and a strike doesn’t really help with that but we’re fighting to get the things we deserve."

Source: The New York Times