A wild ride, a big win

Staffers at The Appeal had quite an eventful 24 hours: about 5 minutes after they notified management on May 10 that they were forming The Appeal Union, the CEO announced layoffs affecting approximately one third of the unit.

Workers denounced the move as retaliatory and illegal. Maxwell Tani chronicled the saga in the Daily Beast and journalism focused newsletters picked up the story.

Condemnation was swift and widespread as tweeters pointed out that attempts to block unionization violated the ideals the nonprofit organization espouses.  More than 400 people sent letters to the CEO and other top managers urging them to rescind the layoffs and recognize the union.

The next day, they did exactly that, giving the new union members their first big victory: union recognition and recission of the layoffs.

Union members said they were thrilled with the decision and overwhelmed by the support they had received. “The solidarity you’ve all shown was and is essential,” they tweeted. “We remain committed to improving The Appeal and to doing the work that has earned your support.”

Not bad for Day 2.

Read more here. Follow the group on Twitter @theappealunion.