The Writers Guild of America East’s Pineapple Street Union, representing members at Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios, has expressed its disappointment and anger over the broadcaster’s decision to cut 25% of the podcast studio’s workforce. Eleven of the twelve layoffs were WGA East members.
This RIF follows an earlier downsizing six months ago, where three union members were also laid off. In a statement, the union called the layoffs “dehumanizing, cruel, and wrong,” as they mostly affected junior-level staff who already made the least. Audacy described the Pineapple Street layoffs as part of a structural optimization.
The union strongly criticized these layoffs as avoidable actions, saying it opposes the notion of cutting costs due to what it calls, “Mismanagement at the highest levels of a company.”
The Audacy layoffs come in the wake of the company’s bankruptcy filing in January to restructure its $1.9 billion in debt. The union has initiated bargaining for severance for the affected employees.
The Pineapple Street Union stated, “We are heartbroken for the incredible colleagues our workplace lost, and for those of us who will continue to work in a gutted Pineapple. We take comfort in feeling solidarity from our fellow media workers, many of whom have experienced layoffs themselves, and in our own resolve to carry on the fight for a just workplace for all.”
