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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCA-25: The Young Turks' Progressive Founder Urged His Staff Not To Unionize
Top leadership at the progressive news network The Young Turks held an all-staff meeting at its office in Culver City, California, on Feb. 12. The regularly scheduled gathering was supposed to deal with personnel matters, but instead the focus turned to the staffs nascent union campaign, which had just gone public.
Earlier that day, a Twitter handle claiming to represent TYT employees had announced on the social media platform their intention to form a union. In the staff meeting, the networks co-founder and influential host, Cenk Uygur, urged employees not to do so, arguing that a union does not belong at a small, independent outlet like TYT, according to two workers who were present. He said if there had been a union at the network it would not have grown the way it has.
His talk ― at times emotional, the staffers said, with Uygur throwing his papers to the ground at one point, and chastising an employee ― seemed to contradict the progressive, worker-first ethos that TYT broadcasts to its millions of lefty followers. Jack Gerard, who is acting as the companys chief operating officer as Uygur runs for Congress in California, told the staff they were not discouraging unionization.
But the message from Uygur was clear ― and, to at least some staffers, discouraging.
We generally feel disappointed, but unshaken, said one staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. We feel its the right thing to do because of what TYT values.
In an interview with HuffPost, Uygur said he is a strong supporter of unions, especially at large corporations that arent sharing profits with their workers. But he said he worries a unionized workforce would bring new legal and bureaucratic costs that TYT cant sustain. The network has a growing subscription base and has raised venture capital money, but faces many of the same headwinds as other online media dealing with the collapse of ad revenue.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-young-turks-progressive-founder-urged-his-staff-not-to-unionize_n_5e540686c5b6ad3de3823a32
apcalc
(4,465 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,364 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,448 posts)is front loaded with union endorsements
Los Angeles Times
California Democratic Party (CDP)
International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
End Citizens United (ECU)
EMILY's List
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Giffords PAC
Serra Club
Indivisible
League of Conservation Voters (LCV)
National Education Association/California Teachers Association
California School Employees Association (CSEA)
California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV)
California Federation of Teachers (CFT)
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
National Organization of Women (NOW)
National Womens Political Caucus (NWPC)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) AFL-CIO
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) State Council of California
Los Angeles County Labor Federation
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 36
LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council
California IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) Council
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 40
United Steelworkers (USW) Local 675
Teamsters Local 399
International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 12
Laborers (LiUNA) Local 300
Plumbers & Fitters United Association (UA) Local 761
California Young Democrats (CYD)
Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley (DP/SFV)
Indivisible Conejo
Indivisible CA-25 Simi Valley/Porter Ranch
North Valley Democratic Club
Simi Valley Democratic Club
San Fernando Valley Young Democrats
National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW)
Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (SWRCC)
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Central Coast Labor Council (CCLC)
Amalgmated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1277
American Federation of Music (AFM) Local 47
Teamsters Joint Council 42
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Southern California District Council
Stonewall Democratic Club
Equality California (EQCA)
Southern California Armenian Democrats (SCAD)
Democratic Alliance for Action of Santa Clarita
Democrats for Israel-Los Angeles
Armenian National Committee of America - Western Region (ANCA-WR)
Yes that sounds like Joe Crowley.
Ca-25's demographics are a lot different
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)You really have to be bought in on the full cult shit to take that guy seriously. Embarrassing.