Quartz editorial staff votes to unionize

The editorial staff of financial news site Quartz announced Monday morning that an overwhelming majority of eligible staff have signed on to join the NewsGuild of New York, CWA Local 31003.

Founded in 2012, Quartz was purchased by Japanese media company Uzabase in July 2018 from The Atlantic and is valued at between $75 million and $110 million.

Quartz staff have requested voluntary recognition from management in order to begin the bargaining process. The union’s mission statement cited a desire to strengthen existing benefits and to improve such issues as pay equity, diversity, and job security through collective bargaining.

“We love Quartz, and we love working here,” said Annalisa Merelli, geopolitics reporter, in a statement. “For us, organizing is a way to double down on our commitment to the publication and the continued pursuit of its excellence. We are excited about the future of Quartz, and we want to make sure we are a part of it.”

The site began with a handful of employees and now has a staff of over 230 people across five continents.

In its 2018 statement, Uzabase stated that it purchased Quartz because of its global reach, continued growth, bold and creative reporting, and mobile-friendly platform.

“The spirit of collaboration and innovation at Quartz has been palatable since the beginning. It’s one of the reasons I’m proud to be part of this newsroom of talented, dedicated journalists,” said environment reporter Zoë Schlanger in a statement. “As the company grows, forming a union is the next step in that collaboration, to ensure a robust and responsive workplace for years to come.”

A Quartz spokesman provided the following statement: “We look forward to working with the NewsGuild on a voluntary recognition process and have already reached out to it to start that. Through this process, we will work together to exemplify our values and continue to make Quartz a great place to work.”