Statement on cuts at Pop-Up Magazine Productions

Management at Pop-Up Magazine Productions announced this week that Emerson Collective was severing ties, returning the company to an independent status. As a result, management announced cuts across several departments. 

They also informed staff that they are ceasing publication of The California Sunday Magazine. 

Nine bargaining unit members were illegally notified that they will lose their jobs, several of whom were already working for reduced hours and salaries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In making these notifications, management presented this decision to Guild members as a done deal and circumvented the Guild as employees’ chosen bargaining representative. Two non-union employees were also notified of termination.

These unilateral actions constitute unfair labor practice charges. No good-faith bargaining can be undertaken in these circumstances. 

Every member of the Pop-Up / California Sunday Guild plays a key role in the company’s journalism and storytelling. What happened this week was an insult that we expect the company to rectify.