Audiobook Workers Form Union with Communications Workers of America

Rockville, Md. – Workers at Graphic Audio, LLC have announced that they are forming a union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 2108. The union would represent nearly 50 workers, including sound designers, creative directors, voice talent recruiters, and more.

Members of the union’s organizing committee presented management with a request for voluntary recognition after a majority of workers signed cards indicating their desire to have union representation. Organizers for the union have also filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“I feel really lucky to have a job that can be creatively fulfilling while also offering full-time employment. I see unionizing as a way to make sure worker concerns are taken seriously and to legally protect all the things that are already great about working here,” said organizing committee member and creative director Megan Hastie. “We’re putting in this effort because we all care a lot about what we do.”

“It is critical that workers have a voice on the job to ensure that they get the respect and fair share that they deserve,” said Johnny Brown, President of CWA Local 2108. “We are excited to welcome Graphic Audio workers to CWA and look forward to securing a union contract through collective action and bargaining.”

Workers believe that by joining together in a union, they will be able to make significant improvements to the workplace through collective bargaining, including livable wages, family health insurance policies, and more transparency. In doing so, workers hope that they can have a constructive relationship with management and better alignment with company values.

“In a political climate that seems to increasingly take our rights away, I hope that other workers feel empowered to organize, knowing that not only is it legally protected, but that unity is one of the greatest tools we have,” said organizing committee member Matty Fammartino. “The desire to form a union doesn’t necessarily come from hostility; we love our work and want the company to succeed while also protecting the things we love about it.”

“As a creative director with Graphic Audio for over 19 years, I understand how better communication between team members inevitably leads to a better quality product,” said organizing committee member Ken Jackson. “Our union’s purpose is to facilitate clearer and more effective communication between workers and management. The product we hope to create together is a happier, more productive workplace.”

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About CODE-CWA

The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is a network of worker-organizers and their staff working every single day to build the voice and power necessary to ensure the future of the tech, game, and digital industries in the United States and Canada. CODE-CWA is a project of the Communications Workers of America, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers throughout tech, media, telecom, and other industries who stand together to fight for justice on the job and in our communities.

About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion