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[alabtrosMyster]

I have not been to any of these stupid sites for at least 10 years now! Way to go buddies! I was boycotting Kotaku/etc. Before they even asked for it.

Seriously, who reads them? Other than bot farms used to generate clicks.

 

[Nautilus]

I'm just glad you articulated this position fully so everyone can see the edge of the conversation and start moving the other direction.

I'm glad people like you came forward to voice your opinion so that we can safely ignore it and have a healthy discussion.

 

[SaucyJack]

Every fucking line of that declaration sound like a parody (and that's not a good thing).

So true.

But in accordance with their wishes I will continue to not visit those sites.

 

[SaucyJack]

That list of demands is hilarious

 

[ManaByte]

Insisting on Return to Office
After producing years of journalism from our homes to great success, management refuses to add work-from-home flexibility into the contract…even though return-to-office plans were twice delayed due to COVID variant spikes.

 

[Boglin]

The hell are we supposed to do if we're already not going to those sites?

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

I mean do these “journalists” even pull enough readership to have the leverage to make demands in the first place? Who even reads them anymore?

 

[NickFire]

Their plight reminds me of kids who went to far playing their parents against each other. Eventually even the good cop parent gets tired of the incessant temper tantrums and just rolls their eyes. I guess I shouldn’t assume any of their remaining readers have eyes though. Would anyone with eyes actually read the nonsense they propagate over there?

 

[Manwithoutfear]

Jokes on them.... I don't go to those sites anyways!!! all of them went on my ban list years ago.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

You can see who here has swallowed that 80s nonsense of unions being bad. Meanwhile, they work well enough everywhere else to the benefit of everyone, including the corpos.

Of course home office should be codified. There are jobs that can be done from anywhere, writing articles is one of those jobs.
As long someone does their work well, employers shouldn't have the slightest right to tell them WHERE they do it. What for, anyway? To look over their shoulders? Rubbish.
At least a certain portion of home office for certain jobs (if desired) should be mandatory.

Of course parents need a right to stay home to be with their newborn for some months.
By now, it is known that the first months are the most important ones when it comes to the development of a bond between parents and kids as well as being essential in the development of later cognitive abilities.
You kinda want to be there anyway (unless you hate kids, in which case, wtf are you doing having one?) and society as a whole benefits from parents being able to do so. It's a no-brainer.

What their identity political nonsense has to do with other, reasonable demands is anyone's guess, of course...

Anyway... Kotaku and likes?
Screw those mobsters and their misuse of gaming for their own inane non-gaming-related propaganda, incessant bashing of actual gamers and cancel culture that they are trying to silence other opinions with.
They can be without any union and support for the rest of their existence for all I care.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

Done

like, double done

Hell I won't even go back when they ax me to lol

 

[Panajev2001a]

Source: https://gmgunion.com/

We are writers, reporters, artists, podcasters, social media specialists, videographers, and editors making the brands you love: Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker, and The Root.

Since January 31, the Gizmodo Media Group Union (GMG Union) and G/O’s Media’s outside counsel have met five times. Every session, the company’s outside counsel sidestepped and delayed, refusing to provide written counterproposals to the union’s good-faith proposals. How can you bargain a contract when the people across the table won’t even clearly state what they’re advocating for?

Endangering Our Healthcare
Management insists on removing all guarantees that our current healthcare benefits and cost-sharing will continue. Management doesn’t want to codify the widely accepted WPATH standards of care for our trans and gender-expansive colleagues.

Insisting on Return to Office
After producing years of journalism from our homes to great success, management refuses to add work-from-home flexibility into the contract…even though return-to-office plans were twice delayed due to COVID variant spikes.

Lowballing Salaries During Unprecedented Inflation
After a year of unprecedented inflation, management proposed raising the minimum salary tier for our lowest paid colleagues—and no one else. Management’s insistence on offering new hires the minimum tier negatively affects our recruitment and talent retention.

Kicking Diversity Efforts Down the Road
GMG Union wants a robust diversity hiring initiative with the budget to back it up. Rather than codify this in our contract, management wants to punt further discussions about possible diversity efforts to our Diversity Committee.

Offering Inadequate Family Leave
Management's proposal limits parental leave. GMG Union wants enough time for a birthing parent to heal, or an adoptive or foster parent to acclimate their child to a new home.

Threatening Possible Forced Relocations
Many of our colleagues were remote workers before COVID-19 changed our lives, and management refuses to codify their remote positions. GMG Union insists on protection from forced relocations to the NYC office.


Reminder of what you might miss out on

I am happy to continue not to visit those sites.

 

[cormack12]

I am happy to continue not to visit those sites.

We should start a gaming readers union

 

[Nautilus]

We should start a gaming readers union

Good idea. We will demand of IGN, gamespot and other similar sites that they pay us for the chance of us reading their articles.

Oh, and to receive free Coke while reading them. No one in their right mind reads an internet article without coke.

 

[Trogdor1123]

So visiting the site fights their stupid union… but visiting their site will give me cancer… not visiting their site supports these morons…. If I don’t visit I’m suppporting a useless union..

It’s a tough somedays

 

[Kataploom]

Woke media site not attending socialist organization demands? Who would have thought that people actually likes money?! UNBELIEVABLE!

P.S.: Yes, for me every single union in existence is a socialist organization and I say that as a bad thing

 

[Interfectum]

Endangering Our Healthcare
Management insists on removing all guarantees that our current healthcare benefits and cost-sharing will continue. Management doesn’t want to codify the widely accepted WPATH standards of care for our trans and gender-expansive colleagues.

Insisting on Return to Office
After producing years of journalism from our homes to great success, management refuses to add work-from-home flexibility into the contract…even though return-to-office plans were twice delayed due to COVID variant spikes.

Lowballing Salaries During Unprecedented Inflation
After a year of unprecedented inflation, management proposed raising the minimum salary tier for our lowest paid colleagues—and no one else. Management’s insistence on offering new hires the minimum tier negatively affects our recruitment and talent retention.

Kicking Diversity Efforts Down the Road
GMG Union wants a robust diversity hiring initiative with the budget to back it up. Rather than codify this in our contract, management wants to punt further discussions about possible diversity efforts to our Diversity Committee.

Offering Inadequate Family Leave
Management's proposal limits parental leave. GMG Union wants enough time for a birthing parent to heal, or an adoptive or foster parent to acclimate their child to a new home.

Threatening Possible Forced Relocations
Many of our colleagues were remote workers before COVID-19 changed our lives, and management refuses to codify their remote positions. GMG Union insists on protection from forced relocations to the NYC office.

 

[AJUMP23]

GMG Union wants enough time for a birthing parent to heal,

I think they mean a woman.



Their management should take the opportunity to hire all new staff.

 

[AJUMP23]

What are all those sites? Looks like cult propaganda... why do they say Game journalists?

They call themselves journalists so they have integrity, but what they really are is social activist and instigators.

 

[ethomaz]

Why?

 

[Faust]

Normally I am all for workers getting what they deserve, but all these “journalists” and sites have actively contributed to a culture of hate, fear, and general disdain for the medium.

Fuck ‘em.

 

[octiny]

After reading their reasons, this just makes me want to visit those sites if anything

 

[InfiniteCombo]

No, no fucking way in hell should working from home be "codified" (if that's shorthand for "put into law"). Individual employers should have the choice to have their own remote work guidelines. Don't like an employer's remote work policies? Go work for someone that has remote work policies that you like. End of story.

Covid has really shown the true colors of some people. Bunch of weak-willed, lazy, entitled assholes.

As for unions, I have mixed thoughts. They were certainly necessary when they first rose to prominence (early 1900s in the US), and even today can be a factor for good. But sometimes they overplay their hand, and end up turning the employer's opinion (and the public's opinion) against them.

 

[NinersAllDay]

This will not end well. Literally anyone with a Webcam and YouTube account can do this job.

 

[Spukc]

it's hilarious as they mentioned, Kotaku, life hacker and gizmodo absolute shit-site designed for people with severe attention span issues.

 

[tkscz]

You can see who here has swallowed that 80s nonsense of unions being bad. Meanwhile, they work well enough everywhere else to the benefit of everyone, including the corpos.

Of course home office should be codified. There are jobs that can be done from anywhere, writing articles is one of those jobs.
As long someone does their work well, employers shouldn't have the slightest right to tell them WHERE they do it. What for, anyway? To look over their shoulders? Rubbish.
At least a certain portion of home office for certain jobs (if desired) should be mandatory.

I disagree unless there is a reason they are unable to work in the office, working from home isn't a necessity. If anything it's a luxury. If the employer believes their staff should be in an office, then that's that. Unless the office is hurting the employees, or is far too difficult to get to, then it isn't a working hazard and shouldn't be up to a union to determine if a company does it or not. I get what you're saying, they're "journalist" and that could be done anywhere, but if their are network functions that they use, VPNs, or home networks, security software etc etc... that the company doesn't want to support, they don't have to.

 

[LordBlodgett]

I guess I've been unknowingly supporting this strike for years. Most of these sites are shit, although I have found useful articles on Lifehacker on occasion. The things is if the writers who want better working conditions are the ones who have been writing for Gizmodo, and especially Kotaku for the last few years then they can get fucked. Those two sites have some of the worst shittiest takes in the world

 

[VinnyMac]

Well I already fucking hate kotaku so you got it dude

 

[justiceiro]

What a great opportunity to change my general gaming news site. Someone has suggestions?

 

[Calling 911 Melts Beams]

Visiting Kotaku is Now Problematic, and That's a Good Thing

 

[supernova8]

Endangering Our Healthcare
Management insists on removing all guarantees that our current healthcare benefits and cost-sharing will continue. Management doesn’t want to codify the widely accepted WPATH standards of care for our trans and gender-expansive colleagues.

Fair enough

Insisting on Return to Office
After producing years of journalism from our homes to great success, management refuses to add work-from-home flexibility into the contract…even though return-to-office plans were twice delayed due to COVID variant spikes.

I work 100% from home and my work contract has no mention of it. I don't see the problem. Unless you were hired as work-from-home from the start and you live so far away from the office (e.g. more than a 1-2 hour commute) that it would be stupid to be office-based, I don't see why they should have to put it in the contract.

Lowballing Salaries During Unprecedented Inflation
After a year of unprecedented inflation, management proposed raising the minimum salary tier for our lowest paid colleagues—and no one else. Management’s insistence on offering new hires the minimum tier negatively affects our recruitment and talent retention.

Given the absolute horseshit they write, I'll just say... tough shit mate.

Kicking Diversity Efforts Down the Road
GMG Union wants a robust diversity hiring initiative with the budget to back it up. Rather than codify this in our contract, management wants to punt further discussions about possible diversity efforts to our Diversity Committee.

"Diversity hiring initiative" oh fuck off. What exactly are they meant to "codify in your contract" with regard to diversity hiring?

Offering Inadequate Family Leave
Management's proposal limits parental leave. GMG Union wants enough time for a birthing parent to heal, or an adoptive or foster parent to acclimate their child to a new home.

Sounds reasonable but it's unclear (1) what they are specifically asking for versus (2) what they're offered at the moment.

Threatening Possible Forced Relocations
Many of our colleagues were remote workers before COVID-19 changed our lives, and management refuses to codify their remote positions. GMG Union insists on protection from forced relocations to the NYC office.

For people who were originally/have always been remote... fair. I would say they are free (as a company) to relocate people but they should have to fund that relocation. For everyone else, if your employer doesn't offer WFH and you think you can find a comparable job that will allow WFH, go apply for that job.

 

[Rentahamster]

I don't even have to change my daily routine to support them. Awesome sauce.

 

[ManaByte]

I work 100% from home and my work contract has no mention of it. I don't see the problem. Unless you were hired as work-from-home from the start and you live so far away from the office (e.g. more than a 1-2 hour commute) that it would be stupid to be office-based, I don't see why they should have to put it in the contract.

Before COVID they had to work out of the office. Then COVID hit and they didn't need to leave their house and got free money from the government. They don't want to go back to work because they're lazy.

 

[Saber]

Good that most of us are already avoiding that scum of society that Kotaku is since the phrestoric times, so its not like gonna change much.

 

[Sgt.Asher]

And the award for most ineffectual union goes to...

 

[zeorhymer]

Go on strike. Let the companies fold, fire everyone, then re-hire non union weirdos.

 

[Dream-Knife]

"Journalists".

Problem is most of these people got degrees hoping to get into political journalism, but instead got stuck ruining video games instead.

 

[Pejo]

Man, I'm so confused. How can I make both sides lose out on this? Go to the sites, but use adblockers and noscript?

Modern day "gaming" """""journalists"""""" can go kick rocks for all I care.

 

[luffie]

birthing parent to heal

BIRTHING parent

isn't there another word for it....?

 

[tassletine]

They’re not asking for that at all. In fact nowhere do they ask for anything. They just say they are striking.
There is a donate button but they‘re not asking you donate.
Definitely a scam.

 

[winjer]

BIRTHING parent

isn't there another word for it....?

LOL.
2022, when saying "woman" is offensive.

When I thought of a dystopian future I was thinking of some Mad Max stuff. Not people offended by genetics and reality.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Wait... are they, are they actually cancelling themselves?

Get in your bread lines, comrades.

 

[Mod of War: Remastered]

Normally I am all for workers getting what they deserve, but all these “journalists” and sites have actively contributed to a culture of hate, fear, and general disdain for the medium.

Fuck ‘em.

I second that.

 

[NickFire]

Wait... are they, are they actually cancelling themselves?

Get in your bread lines, comrades.

aCtu@ry - they are only trying to cancel the people who pay them. It's really a brilliant strategy if you don't think about it.

 

[DeepEnigma]

aCtu@ry - they are only trying to cancel the people who pay them. It's really a brilliant strategy if you don't think about it.

bAnKrUpT oUr eMpLoYeRs!!!

 

[Decontamination Silo]

LOL.
2022, when saying "woman" is offensive.

When I thought of a dystopian future I was thinking of some Mad Max stuff. Not people offended by genetics and reality.

I wanna trade for Mad Max world.

 

[Impotaku]

Maybe they should learn to code...

from home

 

[nush]

This will not end well. Literally anyone with a Webcam and YouTube account can do this job.

and you get to work from home....

 

[Aenima]

I have been doing my part by not visiting any of those websites for years now.

 

[Barakov]

Source: https://gmgunion.com/

We are writers, reporters, artists, podcasters, social media specialists, videographers, and editors making the brands you love: Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker, and The Root.

Since January 31, the Gizmodo Media Group Union (GMG Union) and G/O’s Media’s outside counsel have met five times. Every session, the company’s outside counsel sidestepped and delayed, refusing to provide written counterproposals to the union’s good-faith proposals. How can you bargain a contract when the people across the table won’t even clearly state what they’re advocating for?

Endangering Our Healthcare
Management insists on removing all guarantees that our current healthcare benefits and cost-sharing will continue. Management doesn’t want to codify the widely accepted WPATH standards of care for our trans and gender-expansive colleagues.

Insisting on Return to Office
After producing years of journalism from our homes to great success, management refuses to add work-from-home flexibility into the contract…even though return-to-office plans were twice delayed due to COVID variant spikes.

Lowballing Salaries During Unprecedented Inflation
After a year of unprecedented inflation, management proposed raising the minimum salary tier for our lowest paid colleagues—and no one else. Management’s insistence on offering new hires the minimum tier negatively affects our recruitment and talent retention.

Kicking Diversity Efforts Down the Road
GMG Union wants a robust diversity hiring initiative with the budget to back it up. Rather than codify this in our contract, management wants to punt further discussions about possible diversity efforts to our Diversity Committee.

Offering Inadequate Family Leave
Management's proposal limits parental leave. GMG Union wants enough time for a birthing parent to heal, or an adoptive or foster parent to acclimate their child to a new home.

Threatening Possible Forced Relocations
Many of our colleagues were remote workers before COVID-19 changed our lives, and management refuses to codify their remote positions. GMG Union insists on protection from forced relocations to the NYC office.


Reminder of what you might miss out on

With everything else going on, I really didn't notice.