The Appeal Staff Unionizes with NewsGuild-CWA

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 10, 2021

The Appeal Staff Unionizes with NewsGuild-CWA

Staff in the unit cite unstable working conditions, job security, and racial and gender inequities as they form a union at the mission-driven journalism outlet

Today, staff representing all departments of The Appeal announced that they have formed a union. They say this will enable them to continue producing high-quality, independent journalism, research, and analysis that furthers the organization’s mission of creating a society where stability and dignity are within everyone’s reach.

An overwhelming majority of eligible staff from every department — over 90 percent — has signed union authorization cards. This morning, members of the unit’s organizing committee requested voluntary recognition from management. If they do not receive said recognition within one week, an election will be requested with the National Labor Relations Board. 

Senior reporter Jerry Iannelli remarked: “Our staff has experienced extremely high rates of turnover, non-transparent decision-making, and a general lack of stability at The Appeal. And as we began to connect and share our experiences with one another, we pinpointed a number of urgent and recurring issues in our workplace that continue to hold us back from doing our very best work.” Iannelli continued, “We believe The Appeal Union will be a positive development not just for workers, but for all people at the organization. This organization cannot bring about positive change in the world without first turning a critical eye on itself.”

Over the last year, The Appeal has seen increased layoffs, higher turnover, and more frequent changes in job responsibilities. Staff members say this has created unstable working conditions and threatened job security. They have also expressed that demeaning treatment from management and a lack of input in day-to-day decisions have worsened conditions. These problems have disproportionately affected people of color and women, who have the highest rates of departure.

A mission statement drafted and signed by staff members who are forming the union states that members of The Appeal’s management team often use the refrain “low democracy workplace” to describe the organization. Staff members want a “high democracy workplace” that “values collaboration, stability, compassion, justice, and transparency, and where racial and gender equity are priorities, not buzzwords,” according to the statement.

“As someone who has been at this organization for two years and through a number of iterations, I believe that The Appeal Union is our best bet at ensuring that leadership and staff can reconcile and find solutions to systemic problems that we face here,” said senior legal analyst Brandi McNeil. “We are a mission-driven outlet that claims to center the most vulnerable in our communities and seeks to help create a more just and equitable future. In order to do that work, we must first live up to those values ourselves. We must practice what we preach.”

To read the full mission statement of the unit, please visit our website: theappealunion.com.  To get in touch with a unit spokesperson, please reach out to theappealunion@gmail.com. 

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About the NewsGuild-CWA: The NewsGuild-CWA represents 25,000 journalists and other media workers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico at publications and digital sites that include The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Denver Post, and The San Francisco Chronicle. The Guild merged with the 700,000-member Communications Workers of America in 1995. The Appeal Union will join the NewsGuild as a unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, NewsGuild-CWA Local 39521, based in San Francisco, California.