Parcast Union Reaches Tentative Deal on First Contract with Spotify

~ jen

On April 6, 2021, Parcast tweeted: “After months of regular meetings, late-night emails, private calls, & full unit efforts, we’re proud to announce we have a deal. We couldn’t have done it without the consistent support of our colleagues. It’s been a worthwhile journey, and we thank all who helped us fight. #1u”

A follow up tweet said: “Our deal is subject to ratification. Details coming soon!”

The Hollywood Reporter provided more details:

Seemingly averting a threatened strike, a union at Parcast has reached a tentative agreement with Spotify and Parcast management on a first contract covering the podcast studio’s content writers, fact-checkers, producers, researchers and other workers.

The Parcast Union – which is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America, East – announced the deal on Wednesday night, their final day of bargaining with the music streaming giant and the Spotify-owned podcast studios and are not yet disclosing terms of the tentative agreement.

The deal will now be scrutinized by the Parcast bargaining unit and will subsequently be voted on by the WGA East Council and the bargaining unit. The deal terms are expected to be similar to those in contracts for WGA East-affiliated podcast unions The Ringer and Gimlet, companies that are also owned by Spotify.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The tentative deal arrives about a year and a half after Parcast workers first announced they were unionizing in September 2020, with the hopes of making changes to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, workers’ workloads, role transparency and compensation and intellectual property policies. About a month later, Parcast voluntarily recognized the union and, according to the union, bargaining on a contract subsequently took place over 15 months.

The Parcast union is not the only one represented by WGA East. It also bargains for workers at Spotify-owned The Ringer and Gimlet Media. Those two unions ratified their first contracts in 2021. In February, a WGA East-affiliated union at iHeartPodcast Network won voluntary recognition from management.