The news site Vice on Aug. 7 became the fourth new media site to unionize this summer, following in the steps of Gawker, Salon and The Guardian US.

Vice’s 80-member U.S. editorial staff voted to join the Writers Guild of America, East, the same union chosen by workers at Gawker Media and Salon.

“We are proud of the work we do here at Vice,” the workers said in a statement. “We love being part of a company that is changing media and having an impact on the world. We believe that a union is a logical step for the long-term legacy of the company.”

Although many traditional media outlets have long been unionized, new-media sites have until now largely remained union-free.

Vice co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Shane Smith welcomed the union.

“All I want is for my beautiful Vice family to be happy — those writers who voted to unionize and those who did not,” he told the staff.

Management at Gawker and The Guardian US similarly embraced their workers’ decisions, although at Salon the editorial staff’s vote to unionize prompted a month-long standoff before management agreed to recognize the bargaining unit.

Wired, Aug. 7
International Business Times, Aug. 1