WGA East Set As Bargaining Reps For Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios Podcast Network

UPDATED with Audacy statement: The Audacy-owned podcast network Pineapple Street Studios formally has recognized the WGA East as the collective bargaining reps for its staff writers, producers, editors, engineers and other storytellers. The move comes after a card check conducted by an independent third party confirmed that a majority of the 42-member bargaining unit signed union cards in favor of the union.

“We are so proud to have won voluntary recognition from management at Pineapple and Audacy,” the Pineapple Street Union said in a statement. “This victory is a direct result of months of hard work and dedication to building solidarity across our organization. We’re excited to carry this momentum forward into a collaborative bargaining phase, focused on pay and protections, accountability, consistency and unity at the company.”

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An Audacy spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday morning: “We are immensely proud of the industry-leading work and great team of storytellers at Pineapple Street Studios. We recognized the team’s desire to organize and quickly moved to acknowledge this process. We look forward to working with the WGA on a fair contract that will allow Pineapple Street to continue telling exceptional stories and delighting listeners for years to come.”

The union aims to begin negotiations with Pineapple Street Studios and Audacy as soon as possible. Last month, when the unionization effort was announced, the shop wrote a “Why We’re Organizing” letter (read it here) that outlined many of the key issues it planned to negotiate over including pay equity and transparency, severance and leave policies, improved health insurance, remote work security, IP rights, and assurances for interns and contractors.

“We’re very pleased that Pineapple and Audacy have moved quickly and respectfully in this voluntary recognition process,” the WGAE statement said. “We hope that this not only sets the tone for our upcoming bargaining process, but also sets an example for leaders across our industry – that working with employees to achieve more equitable workplaces can and should be a collaborative and straightforward experience on both sides of the table. We stand in solidarity with other producers, editors, writers, engineers, and staff across the industry in the continued effort to make audio a more fair and equitable field.”

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