Members of the Crooked Media union unanimously ratified their first collective bargaining agreement, gaining provisions including minimum starting salaries of $80,000, AI protections and a minimum of 49 days of paid time off.
The 61-member unit of Crooked Media, which produces podcasts including Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It, ratified the agreement after more than a year of negotiations and a one-day walkout on Aug. 5. Ahead of the walkout, Crooked Media workers said they hoped the negotiated terms would set the standard for other podcasting companies moving forward.
In addition to the $80,000 minimum salary, which rises to $84,000 in 2027, the three-year agreement includes an immediate 15 percent increase to base salaries; 30 days’ notice from the company if AI is to be used, increased health insurance coverage and a minimum of 13 weeks severance.
Additionally, Crooked must include an acknowledgment that the staff is unionized with the WGA East at the end of all its podcasts.
“Today, members of the Crooked Media Workers Union ratified its first contract with a unanimous yes and 100 percent participation. It’s one thing to talk about the power of unions; it’s another to actually do the work. We’re pleased to have secured a fair, progressive contract, and for those wins to set a new standard for the industry at large. If we inspire workers at one other company to stand up together, fight for each other, and insist on what they deserve, this has all been worth it,” representatives from the Crooked Media Workers Union said.
“Our members at Crooked Media won a contract that will set a benchmark for all workers in the podcast industry. We’re proud to see our members secure a hard-fought collective bargaining agreement that will support them in the essential work they do — especially in the middle of a presidential election cycle,” said WGAE president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen.
Full deal highlights:
- A minimum starting salary of $80,000, effective upon ratification, rising to $84,000 in 2027;
- An immediate 15 percent increase to base salary, and a pro-rated bonus retroactive from Jan. 1, 2024, to take the place of what had previously been an annual companywide bonus;
- Additional 6 percent increase on first $77,000 of salary; 3.5 percent increase on $77,001-$100,000 of salary;
- Annual minimum salary increases of 1.75 percent in the first year of the contract, 4 percent in the second and 3.75 percent in the third year of the contract;
- Crooked will give at least 30 days’ notice before using AI in any way that materially impacts bargaining unit employees. By March 31, 2025, Crooked will develop a public-facing AI policy;
- Successorship language that requires any new employer to assume the union contract in most instances;
- A PTO policy with a minimum 49 guaranteed days off, in addition to 20 weeks of parental leave;
- Crooked will cover $955/month toward member health insurance, increasing by 10 percent each year;
- Crooked will offer at least one health care plan that meets the World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards;
- A minimum of 13 weeks severance;
- A good faith process for layoffs, including seniority, recall rights, retraining, and two weeks’ notice or additional severance;
- All members are guaranteed 12 hours minimum rest time between end of work and next day’s start;
- Cellphone stipend, commuting reimbursement and working late in-office/on location meal & taxi reimbursements;
- Eliminated noncompetes, at-will provisions and mandatory arbitration provisions from individual employment agreements;
- Just cause;
- Union security;
- And Crooked must include an acknowledgment that the staff is unionized with the Writers Guild of America East at the end of all podcasts.
