New York Media Furlough and Freelance Fund
Last week, Vox Media, furloughed 13 employees and cut hours for two more at New York magazine and our websites the Cut, Grub Street, Intelligencer, and Vulture. These measures affect our entire video team, writers across our verticals, and other employees outside the editorial unit, who are just as essential to our workplace and the work that we do.
Our bargaining committee fought to keep the cuts as minimal as possible; you can see our union’s statement here. While the company has not laid anyone off, and has guaranteed there won’t be any layoffs until July 31, there is no guarantee the media landscape will be any better when that guarantee expires this summer.
Along with our furloughed coworkers, our freelancers are also affected by the economic downturn. Many of our photographers have effectively been out of work since mid-March, as well. The amount of photography we're commissioning from them has dropped dramatically, and editorial budget cuts will reduce opportunities for freelance writers.
We, employees of New York Media, have created this fund to help our colleagues through this difficult time. We'll divide the money we raise equally between all those who apply for aid. We hope that it can help make up for lost income and cover rent and other living expenses.
We’ll be contacting freelancers, furloughed individuals, and those who had their hours reduced with more information. If you belong to one of those groups and you haven’t been contacted by May 4, please email us at [email redacted].
Questions, concerns, or suggestions? Please contact us.
In solidarity,
Liz Boyd
Chris Crowley
Sarah Jones
Ed Kilgore
Eric Levitz
Megan Paetzhold
Bridget Read
Amelia Schonbek
James Walsh
Matt Zoller Seitz
