WE ARE SI: Sports Illustrated journalists put The Arena Group, other potential publishers on notice that SI cannot exist without the union

NEW YORK – Members of the Sports Illustrated Union are putting The Arena Group and any other potential publishers of the storied sports brand on notice that SI cannot exist without the union and are calling out The Arena’s Group clear union-busting tactics. 

Earlier today, the union sent a statement, signed by more than 80 percent of its members, to the brand’s owner Authentic Brands Group and to publisher The Arena Group, asserting that SI has value because of the staff of writers, editors, photographers, on-air hosts, social and video producers and others who have worked steadfastly to uphold Sports Illustrated’s journalistic standards. 

On Jan. 19, every member of the SI Union was told they would be laid off as a result of Authentic Brands Group revoking Arena’s license to publish SI. Supervisors and managers at the publication, though, have not been laid off as Arena continues to publish SI on an interim basis.

“Arena’s decision to terminate every unionized member of the SI staff jeopardizes not only the livelihoods of the more than 80 people who have fought to make SI the best it can be, but also threatens to destroy this iconic brand,” the statement says. “A version of Sports Illustrated produced without the SI Union would not be Sports Illustrated, but a sham and an insult to our publication’s storied history.”

While most of the union employees were given 90 days’ notice under the New York State WARN Act, more than 10 percent of the union was immediately let go, including one union officer and one employee who had recently filed a grievance against the company. The NewsGuild of New York, on behalf of the SI Union, filed an unfair labor practice against The Arena Group, accusing the company of discharging employees because of their support of the union, engagement in union activities and engagement in other protected activities.

“For whatever the balance sheets may indicate, Sports Illustrated’s most valuable asset, its greatest strength and competitive advantage, is its people—committed, knowledgeable, ethical journalists informing and entertaining an audience, while upholding a reputation built over decades,” said L. Jon Wertheim, senior writer for Sports Illustrated and a 28-year employee. “An SI without us is simply not SI.”

For more information, visit the Sports Illustrated Union’s website: https://www.siunion.org/