Gawker and Union Reach Agreement on Contract

Gawker Media and the union that represents its employees announced that they had reached an agreement on a labor contract, the first designed and negotiated specifically for a digital media company. The contract, which the union, the Writers Guild of America, East, described as unique, says that editorial decisions must be made strictly by editorial staff, sets a minimum annual salary of $50,000 and ensures 3 percent yearly raises for staff members this year and for the next two years. Employees should receive severance amounting to two weeks for every year of service, it says. But employment is at-will, which the company argues allows it to respond to market conditions. The company described the negotiations as “occasionally intense but always collegial” and said that the agreement would guarantee writers and others “the security, fair wages and quality benefits they have earned” and the company’s management “the flexibility to run the business effectively in a fast-paced and fluid environment.” The Gawker staff will vote on the contract in the coming days.