Sports Illustrated union files labor grievance over mass layoffs

Sports Illustrated's staff is fighting mass layoffs at the magazine. (Lawrence Jackson/AP)

By Ben Strauss
January 29, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EST

The union representing the staff of Sports Illustrated filed an unfair labor practice charge against the magazine’s publisher, alleging it engaged in illegal union-busting tactics when it sent layoff notices to all of the unionized staff, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by The Washington Post.

Nearly all Sports Illustrated staffers received layoff notices from the Arena Group this month, devastating the 70-year-old magazine that once set the standard for sports journalism. Most of the staffers were told their jobs would be eliminated in 90 days, but a few were laid off immediately.

The move came amid a multimillion-dollar dispute between SI owner Authentic Brands Group and the Arena Group, which has an agreement to license the magazine’s rights.

According to the complaint, the NewsGuild alleges Arena fired employees because of their “support of the Union engagement in Union activities and/or engagement in other protected activities.” In a statement, the guild said managers and supervisors who are not eligible for the guild were not targeted by the layoffs. The statement also noted a staffer who has an unresolved labor grievance against the company as well as a union officer were among those let go immediately. (Sports Illustrated had around 80 unionized staffers.)

FULL story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/29/sports-illustrated-layoffs-nlrb-complaint/