Seven Seas Entertainment has recognized United Workers of Seven Seas (UW7S) as the union that will represent its workers. This means no election is necessary, and the two parties can move forward on negotiating a contract.
Seven Seas had initially refused to waive the election (see “Seven Seas Will Not Voluntarily Recognize Union”) However, the publisher Tweeted a statement on June 25, saying,
In order to protect everyone involved, and to work together in good faith for the sake of our staff, creators, partners and fans, Seven Seas has now decided to waive the right to an election in favor of voluntary recognition of the union.
We look forward to working together with the newly unionized UW7S and the rest of our global staff as we sail towards an even brighter future.
UW7S also Tweeted the news on June 24, saying,
At a time when many employers continue to fight the unionization of their employees, we appreciate that Seven Seas decided to respect the voices of the majority of staff and recognize us.
The Tweet noted that Seven Seas had made the decision based on a majority card check, which means that a majority of eligible workers had signed cards saying they wanted to be represented by the union.
On its website, UW7S added a new goal following the overturning of Roe v. Wade on Friday:
In the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, we demand that Seven Seas set up a reproductive health travel fund accessible to all employees and US-based freelancers to states where reproductive healthcare remains available.
Since the Dobbs decision was announced on June 24, numerous companies, including Marvel parent company Disney and DC parent company Warner Brothers have announced that they will cover travel expenses for employees who must travel to access reproductive health care.
UW7S first announced its intention to unionize the Seven Seas staff in May (see “Seven Seas Staff Organizes”).
Source: ICv2
