Wirecutter journalists vote to join New York NewsGuild

Nearly 90 percent of editorial employees at Wirecutter, a product review and recommendation site, announced Tuesday that they have unionized with the NewsGuild of New York.

The staff presented their request for voluntary recognition of their union Tuesday morning to editor-in-chief Ben Frumin and president and general manager David Perpich.

In a mission statement presented to management, Wirecutter staff cited a desire to strengthen and expand in existing benefits and a desire to improve such issues as editorial independence, pay equity, diversity and job security through collective bargaining.

The NewsGuild of New York has represented the staff of The New York Times since 1941, a bargaining unit that currently encompasses nearly 1,200 members working across editorial, sales, marketing and security staff.

Wirecutter was acquired by the New York Times Co. in 2016. The company’s significant digital revenue growth in 2018 was largely driven by Wirecutter’s affiliate referral strategy.

“I’ve always been proud to work for Wirecutter, largely because of the amazing people who work so hard to make it a special place,” said Nick Guy, senior staff writer, in a statement. “Now, as a unionized editorial staff, I’m excited for us to secure the things that make Wirecutter great and find solutions where necessary so that we can continue to be the best place to work.”