Gizmodo Media Group Layoff Fund
Donation protected
We are editorial staff from Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker, and The Root, and we've organized this fundraiser in the hopes of supporting our colleagues who have been abruptly laid off.
In August, G/O Media management blindsided half of our video producers, editors and designers—some of whom are parents—with a termination letter on a Friday afternoon. They did so without notice, or consulting with editors-in-chief or the union to protect jobs. Even more callously, the company refused to provide an additional month of COBRA coverage, despite the fact that we are all in a global pandemic. The cost savings to the company is minuscule compared to the difference it would make in the lives of our colleagues.
G/O Media’s disregard for the wellbeing of its employees is not surprising. It’s the latest example of management that actively creates a hostile and toxic work environment for its employees and has refused to engage with us on alternative cost cutting measures.
As fellow members of the GMG Union, we stand in solidarity with our coworkers and all workers fighting for basic rights and dignity. All donations will help cover one month of healthcare costs for our colleagues. Support is needed urgently, and all funds will be distributed in full amongst our 11 former coworkers by the end of October 2020. This GoFundMe is managed by the GMG Union committee.
In August, G/O Media management blindsided half of our video producers, editors and designers—some of whom are parents—with a termination letter on a Friday afternoon. They did so without notice, or consulting with editors-in-chief or the union to protect jobs. Even more callously, the company refused to provide an additional month of COBRA coverage, despite the fact that we are all in a global pandemic. The cost savings to the company is minuscule compared to the difference it would make in the lives of our colleagues.
G/O Media’s disregard for the wellbeing of its employees is not surprising. It’s the latest example of management that actively creates a hostile and toxic work environment for its employees and has refused to engage with us on alternative cost cutting measures.
As fellow members of the GMG Union, we stand in solidarity with our coworkers and all workers fighting for basic rights and dignity. All donations will help cover one month of healthcare costs for our colleagues. Support is needed urgently, and all funds will be distributed in full amongst our 11 former coworkers by the end of October 2020. This GoFundMe is managed by the GMG Union committee.
Organizer and beneficiary
GMG Union
Organizer
New York, NY
Whitney Kimball
Beneficiary