The workers at the nonprofit newsroom Prism Reports announced today they are unionizing. In forming Prism Workers United, workers seek a seat at the table in shaping what a fair, equitable, and compassionate workplace can be. 

Of the 10 members of the collective bargaining unit, 100% have signed cards indicating their desire to organize with the Pacific Media Workers Guild, Local 39521 of The NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America. Prism Workers United represents writers, editors, copy editors, and social media editors who call on management to voluntarily recognize the Guild.

Union members look forward to joining the ever-growing TNG-CWA, the largest union of journalists and other communications employees in North America, representing more than 25,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada. As labor organizing reaches a new zenith across the news and nonprofit spheres, workers at Prism are excited to take this vital step in securing workers’ rights and building a stronger, more sustainable workplace.

“Even progressive workplaces like Prism need a union,” said Features Editor Tina Vásquez. “I’m joining the union because I want to help shape the future of our newsroom.”

Prism is an independent and nonprofit news outlet led by journalists of color. Forging a different path forward against the status quo media landscape, Prism tells stories of those on the front lines of injustice and grassroots-led solutions: to disrupt harmful narratives, and to inform movements for justice. Established in 2019 and headquartered in California, Prism is a fully remote team—with staff working in locations ranging from the Bay Area, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and the U.S. South.

“At Prism, we report on communities fighting for liberation, but we are also part of those communities,” said Copy Editor and Organizing Chair Kimberly Rooney 高小荣. “Every worker deserves a say in their working conditions, and I’m thrilled to join and stand in solidarity with the growing number of unionized news and nonprofit workers.”

Members of Prism Workers United believe in the necessity of fully recognizing workers not merely as workers, but as full people living at the intersections of multiple marginalizing structures. Prism Workers United will represent journalists, truth-tellers, organizers, and justice seekers. Prism is already a leader in workplace culture across nonprofits and newsrooms. Union members want to ensure those benefits will be available for all future workers at Prism.

If management grants voluntary recognition, workers will begin bargaining immediately. Workers hope to enshrine their current benefits and fight for severance packages as job losses continue to mount in a field “experiencing its death rattle,” formalized paid family leave plans, dependent care coverage to help close the medical gaps created in BIPOC communities, and more. Through granting voluntary recognition, management would demonstrate its commitment to workers’ rights and liberation, exemplifying that union-busting and managerial antagonism do not have to be inherent in the unionization process. 

In a mission statement distributed throughout the newsroom and to management on July 31, Prism Workers United states, “It is our mission to build a workplace that, much like our reporting, strives for justice, liberation, and hope.

“By organizing, we believe that we’ll be able to build a stronger foundation from which to grow our newsroom, recruit and maintain talent, and demonstrate to our media peers that it’s both possible and imperative to center worker-led campaigns. In an economic system that exploits and disempowers workers, we believe in the necessity of unions as a collective force fighting for workers’ rights. Our unity and solidarity make us strong.”

“I am unionizing to make sure that Prism continues to be a leader in our industry,” said senior climate features reporter Ray Levy Uyeda. “In a professional field where our jobs are treated like our identities, Prism has always shown that journalism is what we do; people—in all expressions of humanity—are who we are. I’m also excited to unionize to demonstrate solidarity with workers everywhere who know that organizing is how we build toward a liberated future.”

Interviews with key leaders from Prism Reports workers can be arranged by contacting Kimberly Rooney 高小荣 at 301-367-1536 or prismworkersunited@gmail.com. Follow the Prism Workers United campaign on Instagram and Twitter @prism_union.