Pageant Media union claims retaliation

The Pageant Media Workers’ Guild, which represents business journalists working at publications such as HFM, Fund Intelligence and Real Estate Fund Intelligence, claims it has faced retaliation from management after 83% of the financial journalists at its New York office voted for unionization certification on June 16.

Pageant has dismissed four union members and marked at least one other for termination, while another is set to be removed from the unit through reassignment. Two of the terminated members included union’s unit chair and vice chair.

Pageant, which in February received a private equity investment from Intermediate Capital Group, employs more than 240 employees worldwide.

The London-based company claims its actions are part of a long-planned restructuring of its editorial and production operations. So far, however, across a business spanning three continents, the terminations have overwhelmingly affected unionized editorial and production workers in the New York office.

The union has requested information from management and is working with The NewsGuild to consider responses, including a potential unfair labor practice charge.