First U.S. Comics Publisher to Unionize
Members of Comic Book Workers United have voted to ratify their contract with Image Comics. The ratification vote comes over a year after Image staff voted to be represented by the union, which has been working with the Communications Workers of America (see “Image Comics Employees Vote to Unionize”). In its official statement, the union expressed thanks to its supporters and added, “As we celebrate this victory, we also want to take the opportunity to reaffirm that this contract is just the first step among many and we hope you will stick with us as we continue the fight for union representation and more equitable working conditions for everyone in the comic book industry and beyond.”
Image Comics was the first North American comics publisher to vote to unionize, but not the last: In June 2022, Seven Seas Entertainment voluntarily recognized the United Workers of Seven Seas (see “Seven Seas Voluntarily Recognizes Union”). In addition, HarperCollins employees, who were already represented by a union, ended a lengthy strike in February (see “HarperCollins, Union Reach Tentative Agreement”), and the game retailer Noble Knight recognized the Noble Knight Games United union (see “Game Retailer Recognizes Union”).
Source: ICv2
