Employees of ABC News Digital have voted unanimously to form a union with the Writers Guild of America East. The vote, counted on Friday, July 31, included the division's approximately 50-member bargaining unit, comprising digital reporters, editors, video producers and social media producers. The union will represent staff on ABCNews.com and the network's social media platforms in collective bargaining.
WGA East confirmed it reached an agreement with ABC on the union recognition process, noting that discussions between management and the union were "productive and constructive." The guild has represented ABC News TV employees since the 1960s and now expands its reach to digital staff. Members of the bargaining unit stated they want to help shape ABC News during a period of rapid industry change. They also expressed excitement about joining hundreds of ABC broadcast colleagues and thousands of other Disney employees already under union representation.
WGA East president Tom Fontana said the guild appreciates management's engagement and looks forward to securing union protections for digital staff. The union's Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News sector also represents workers at CBS News, NBC Promo Writers, Fox 5 WNYW-TV, Audacy radio stations and others. WGA East, affiliated with AFL-CIO, represents over 7,500 writers across film, television, news, podcasts and online media.
The digital staff's unanimous vote signals a coordinated push for institutional inclusion within ABC's existing union framework. This aligns them with broadcast colleagues and broader Disney unionized workers, potentially strengthening collective leverage. The move comes as WGA East actively challenges media consolidation through legal action over the Paramount-WBD merger.
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