Employees at podcasting companies Gimlet Media and The Ringer have announced they have ratified their first-ever labor contracts with their parent company, Spotify. The contracts have been under negotiation since the companies had first unionized back in 2019.
Within the new contracts, higher base pay, which will be established at $57,000 for union members at The Ringer and $73,000 for those at Gimlet, will be available, as well as annual 2% pay increases. Additionally, the deal requires a minimum of 11 weeks of severance pay.
The companies will also work toward increasing diversity in hiring, with at least half of the candidates seriously being considered for union positions open to outsiders be required to come from underrepresented groups, including racial minorities and people with disabilities.
“We began this process with the aim of improving working conditions and compensation at the company, especially for our lowest-paid members,” Ringer Union had written in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have achieved that goal with this contract.”
While an original strong point of interest for both Gimlet Media and The Ringer had been the retention of rights to work created while at the respective companies, it had not been mentioned in the finalized deal.
The Ringer is the larger of the two companies, with 65 employees, while Gimlet Media hosts less than 50 employees. Both Gimlet Media and The Ringer are among the first in the podcasting industry to unionize, with both represented by the Writers Guild of America, East.
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