In the news: Staffers at Hearst Magazines have formed a union.

Earlier this month, Hearst employees unionized. The union, with the Writers Guild of America East, includes staffers at 24 Hearst magazines, reports Maxwell Tani of the Daily Beast. Other print and digital publishers have unionized in recent years, says Tani, including Buzzfeed News, Vox Media, and select Condé Nast divisions.

The new Hearst union is one of the largest in the publishing industry. It comes after a year of organizing and negotiations, with a sweeping majority of employees backing the move. Characterizing organizers’ objectives, Tani writes, “While recent upheaval in media has spurred a wave of unionization efforts ... their effort was geared more toward achieving goals shared by editorial employees across the company. In a memo released [November 11], the organizing committee singled out diversity, transparency, compensation, and editorial standards as several key issues the union hopes to take up with management.”

Read more here.

Also Notable

Branded Shows to Attract Subscribers

Some publishers are hoping that putting original shows behind their paywalls will entice would-be subscribers to pay up. According to Tim Peterson of Digiday.com, Architectural Digest, Barstool Sports, and the New York Times are experimenting with the concept. Under the current model, subscription revenue covers the cost of producing the show, a risky proposition, says Peterson. What’s more, he writes, “it can be challenging for publishers to justify producing a program for a limited audience, especially given ongoing interest from Netflix and other streaming platforms in licensing that type of content.” Read more here.

Magazines Reconsider Packaging Materials

Last week, Condé Nast pledged to the UN’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, reports Kaley Roshitsh of Women’s Wear Daily. As print magazines look for ways to increase sustainability, they’re taking a hard look at packaging materials, “with options ranging from recycled plastics made from post-consumer recycled waste, biodegradable bio-based content, paper or naked mailing,” says Roshitsh. Read more here.

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