Staff at Gawker Media will hold an election today to decide whether or not to unionize. The vote could impact digital news sites as a whole, as the first time journalists on a largely online platform organize. Despite competitive pay and attractive perks and benefits, Gawker staff writers are seeking the ability to negotiate a firm contract, to create a certainty of their terms of employment in an increasingly uncertain industry. Many employees, however, doubt the ability of staff writers to work together in a union, and worry their flexibility and freedom at Gawker could be disrupted by the solidarity required.
See "Gawker to vote on unionizing, because new media is old now", Julia Greenberg, Wired, June 2, 2015