At The Ringer, Staff Writers Say They Are Second-String

Ringer employees say Mr. Simmons showed signs of trying to marginalize the union dating back to when it was formed last year. Kate Knibbs, a staff writer who left for Wired in December, said that Mr. Simmons unfollowed her on Twitter after she indicated her support for the union and that he stopped promoting her work on Twitter. Three other Ringer employees at the time, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation, said Mr. Simmons unfollowed them after they expressed support for the union as well.

The employees said the move was damaging to them because Mr. Simmons’s Twitter account, with its millions of followers, was a significant source of web traffic. Mr. Simmons declined to comment.

Around the same time, Mr. Simmons hired Ryen Russillo, a former ESPN colleague, to host a podcast. The union sought to include Mr. Russillo but management resisted, and the union eventually agreed to leave him out. Since that dispute, high-profile podcast hosts have joined The Ringer as contractors, who are ineligible to become union members, rather than as employees.

Four staff writers started at The Ringer this year, and several staff writers have received podcasting opportunities. Still, outside contractors have joined the company at a faster rate than employees, who complain that it is difficult to move up within the organization.

During negotiations, the union has made proposals that would limit the use of contractors and create a transparent system allowing staff writers to earn promotions based on seniority or achievements.

“If Spotify wants to make strides in original content they should do so by respecting the values of creators and recognizing our requests for guaranteed across-the-board annual increases, ownership of our derivative works and IP, and editorial pathways to promotion,” The Ringer Union said in a statement.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/business/media/the-ringer-union-bill-simmons.html