We build Medium
At Medium, words matter.
As the workers who build it every day,
we want to make sure actions matter too.
Our Vision For Medium
We, an overwhelming majority of Medium workers across the company — including engineering, editorial, design, product, and other departments — are forming a union with the Communications Workers of America, part of Local 9410.
Here's why:
Medium is a space where the world’s stories are told, whether by professional journalists, industry experts, brave dissidents, or burgeoning writers. We’re a platform that strives to be open to everyone, and our work has helped to democratize an industry, hold power to account, and connect readers and writers to meaningful communities. Our strength as a company comes from a dedicated team of engineers, editors, reporters, data analysts, marketers, designers, curators, producers, partnership managers, and administrators — all who work tirelessly to help Medium be a force for good in the world.
We are organizing because both tech and media are at a crossroads, and it is more important than ever that companies in both industries are equitable and supportive of their employees. This is the age of newsroom buyouts, startups folding, tech companies shifting more jobs to contractors, and the general implosion of independent media. Tech and media companies alike are constantly changing direction, dissolving and reforming, pivoting and refocusing. This often creates business advantages, but it also upends workers’ lives. To thrive as a creative, sustainable platform, Medium must support and protect its workforce and create the best environment possible in these turbulent times.
We will hold Medium, and ourselves, to ethical and just standards. We’ll amplify the voices of the marginalized. We’ll defend democracy with our platform. We’ll restore justice where harm has been done. We’ll help shape a company where all are welcome, protected, and have an equitable share in decision making. And together we’ll build a platform where our users are guaranteed the same.
Every worker at Medium deserves a voice. Unionizing is an act of care — we are using our collective power to protect and champion our users, our fellow coworkers, and our work. Together, we can create a Medium that lives up to its values. Our union stands in solidarity with all other workers, on-platform and off.
We ask that Medium leadership voluntarily recognize our Medium Workers Union and commit to participating in a good faith relationship with us.
Our work is rooted in social justice, and that intent is built into our product.
Our platform’s mission aligns with the greater purpose of social good, and we invest in mitigating harm in a landscape of tech and media that has historically deprioritized user safety and combating misinformation.
We have transparency and consensus in our roles.
Job requirements and expectations are clear for each unique role. We have transparency in pay and performance evaluations. Expectations do not waver mid-cycle based on company strategy or financial headwinds. When projects and roles shift, we are part of the decision making process.
Our working environment is inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.
Everyone who works for Medium receives fair treatment, equitable pay and working conditions, basic protections like severance and just cause, inclusion and representation in wider company culture, and protection from harassment and bigotry regardless of race, ethnicity, class, country of origin, legal status, gender identity and expression, religion, creed, sexual orientation, body size, disability, and age. We hold the company and its leaders accountable to their diversity and inclusion promises, and to maintaining an open door culture for marginalized workers to voice their concerns without fear of retaliation.
Our growth does not come at the cost of stability.
We love the freedom to grow and experiment at Medium, and flexibility is key to our success. But the livelihood of our workers must not be contingent on the success of speculative projects.
Our publications operate independently and ethically.
Medium’s editorial staff break news, bring about change, and provide readers with quality journalism across a number of issues. They are free from influence that would undermine or diminish their reporting.
Our work and the standards by which it is judged are decided democratically.
A company’s values are determined by the work it pursues and the criteria by which it gauges success. Our work and our definition of success embody our values.
Our workers have a sustainable work/life balance, and support in times of crisis and calm.
Employees with mental health burdens, parents under stress from Covid, and all other vulnerable employees at Medium are fully supported. Our One Team, One Dream operating principle is valid for every one of us: “We focus on our collective success, support and help each other, and pitch in however we can.”
Our union, our work, and our company actively centers marginalized voices.
We make continued investments in communities of color, LGBTQ folk, immigrants, women, disabled people, and other disenfranchised groups. We recognize that it is not enough to just support these communities; we must also account for and amend the injustices that have traditionally silenced them across the tech and media industries.
Frequently Asked Questions
We know you have questions, we’re happy to answer what we can.
What union are we joining?
What union are we joining? As a collective of engineers, editorial workers, designers, and Medium staffers, we will become members the Communications Workers of America, through the CODE-CWA tech and digital organizing campaign. Founded in 1947 as a telecom union, CWA represents 700,000 workers in private and public sector employment. CWA members work in telecommunications and information technology, the airline industry, news media, broadcast and cable television, health care, public service and education, law enforcement, manufacturing and other fields.
If you’re unhappy as a worker, shouldn’t you just quit?
That’s not a realistic option for all of our members. For those of us who could, it’s because we still believe in Medium. Medium hired us with the promise of doing good in the world. Many of us chose to apply to Medium in the first place because we appreciated its publicly stated values. We’re holding them to those promises.
What do unions do besides negotiate pay and strike?
Unions have secured many of the workers rights we now take for granted, like the 8-hour workday and equal right to work. As the MWU, we believe unionizing is an act of care. We are using our collective power to protect and champion our users, our fellow coworkers, and our work.
What are MWU’s demands?
Right now, our demand is for management to grant our union voluntary recognition. Once we've got a seat at the table, we'll collectively bargain to address more specific demands. Look to our vision statement if you're curious about the shared values we’ve organized behind.
Isn’t a union just another way to amplify the most privileged voices at Medium?
It is important to us, as part of our core values, that we put marginalized voices first. It's written into our vision statement, it's woven into our organizing committee. We are building our union as a way to prevent marginalized voices from being drowned out—if this is an issue that concerns you, please let us know, and hold us accountable to keep this promise.
Aren’t unions just for blue-collar workers?
There are unions for professors, reporters, and software engineers all over the world. Historically, the first unions formed in the US were educated trades and craftsmen.
How can I organize my workplace?
The folks over at CWA are amazing resources, and can help you make sense of the steps you would need to take in your workplace. You can contact an organizer with CODE-CWA by filling out this form.
Who is in the union?
We’re proud to represent workers from engineering, editorial, product, and design teams. Out of respect for our members’ privacy we do not have a full public list of union members.
Press Kit and Links
Download our press kit, which includes copies of our logo, a photo of our unit, and our press release. Press Kit
Read our Press Release
Want to show solidarity? Grab our avatars and zoom backgrounds
Read our Twitter Announcement
Visit the site of Local 9410
Need to get a hold of us? press@mediumworkersunion.org