Employees of the progressive cable network MSNBC announced an effort to unionize, but the network said it would not voluntarily recognize it without a formal vote overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
Several MSNBC hosts praised the announcement on Thursday that their staffers would be unionizing with the Writer’s Guild of America.
“Extremely proud of my colleagues,” responded Chris Hayes.
“All right then! Proud of my peeps,” tweeted Joy Ann Reid.
The union effort specifically said it is seeking to be voluntarily recognized by MSNBC, but a statement from MSNBC President Rashida Jones quickly quashed those hopes.
“I believe our employees should be able to make such an important decision through a standard election process,” said Jones. “It is important to give everyone who would be included the chance to understand what this would mean before making their choice.”
Union organizers in other industries have lambasted the tactic of calling for an NLRB vote as a way to allow the company time to organize against the union efforts.
Among the gripes from the newly formed union were a lack of diversity and equal pay for equal work.
“We are organizing to advocate for equal pay for equal work; diversity at every level of production; clear job descriptions and access to career development,” the MSNBC union tweeted, “and fair compensation for the hours we all spend to deliver the news.
“We are standing up for each other and our work – because this is who we are. After 10 months of organizing, we are asking for voluntary recognition of our union and look forward to constructive negotiations with MSNBC and Comcast for a fair contract,” they added.
The account for the group posted a petition of over 200 employees demanding the union be recognized.
Here’s more about unions and the NLRB:
Rep. Tim Scott on Unions, the NLRB and Protecting Workers’ Rights
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