The Gawker Lunchtime Walkout

So, we’ve heard from a few people that the Gawker editorial union, represented by the Writers Guild of America, East, is planning to walk out next week — apparently on Wednesday for two hours, between noon and 2PM, or approximately the length of a long lunch — over a breakdown in negotiations for annual cost of living salary increases. The sites will also go dark for that time. The union has asked for, we’ve also heard, something like a guaranteed six percent annual increase. Management has offered… zero percent. Asked about the walkout, Hamilton Nolan, “a guy in the union” generally considered the ringleader, told me, “I can say you’ve heard some bad rumors! But I can’t discuss, sorry.”

Gawker recently sold a stake in the company to Columbus Nova, the American investment arm of Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg’s Renova Group. The group not only has a seat on the board, but veto power over Gawker’s budget and the hiring/firing of “executive officers and senior members of management.”

Negotiations between the editorial union and the company are ongoing. Good luck!!!

Photo by Cory Doctorow