Yesterday, the IGN Creators Guild, which was voluntarily recognized last month after going public in early February, made a distressing announcement: three IGN employees were laid off. They write that:
On March 7, 2024, IGN Management blindsided the IGN Creators Guild with three layoffs. This decision was made despite the fact that the company is in no economic distress and without consulting the union. This decision shocked us, given the fact that the company voluntarily recognized our guild. The company is claiming that these decisions were made prior to our recognition. Failing to approach us prior to the layoffs, and instead only choosing to bargain over the effects of said layoffs, is a massive breach of trust between union employees and management.
That erosion of trust is only furthered by the fact that there are currently seven open positions at the company and our three colleagues could be slotted into many of them. There were plenty of alternative options to utilize the abundance of resources between these three team members. This layoff was a choice, not a need.
These three employees have since come forward as Jesse B. Gill, Francesca Rivera, and Joshua Yehl. According to them the union attempted to propose alternatives to layoffs, particularly given the circumstances noted in the letter, but were brushed off by IGN.
Given that the union was recognized prior to these layoffs and was not consulted on them, they charge that the layoffs constitute an unfair labor practice. Accordingly the union is asking for support from the community, saying:
[...] We're turning to our community now. Join us in insisting IGN management sit down with us at the bargaining table instead of communicating with us through outside counsel. In the meantime, we've filed unfair labor practice charges and have demanded that IGN agree to comprehensive layoff and just cause language for our entire unit to prevent a situation like this in the future.
They're also asking that you specifically contact IGN figures Yael Prough, Peer Schneider, and John Davison in doing so.