#Gimlet Media and The Ringer Unions Ratify First Labor Contracts With Spotify

Unions representing employees at Gimlet Media and The Ringer have announced they’ve ratified their first-ever labor contracts with parent company Spotify, as The New York Times reports. The contracts, which have been under negotiation since the companies first unionized in 2019, establish higher minimum base pay for union members, annual pay increases of at least 2%, and provisions to improve hiring diversity and limit the extended use of contractors sans benefits. Each agreement will last three years. Read more about the ratified contracts via WGA-East.

The deals, which were finalized during bargaining sessions in mid-March, do not include provisions for writers and podcasters to retain the rights to work created while working at the respective companies, which was previously touted as a priority for the unions. “We began this process with the aim of improving working conditions and compensation at the company, especially for our lowest-paid members,” Ringer Union wrote in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have achieved that goal with this contract.”

Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Spotify for comment.