BuzzFeed Canada news staff officially members

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The six editorial staff at BuzzFeed’s Toronto operation are now officially members of the Canadian Media Guild, CWA Canada’s largest Local.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board on Tuesday certified CMG to represent the workers at the digital media company.

The ruling comes as BuzzFeed News employees in the United States are still in talks with the company for voluntary recognition of their union. In February, 90 per cent of eligible employees voted in favour of unionizing with the NewsGuild of New York.

The BuzzFeed Canada staff say they are standing in solidarity with their colleagues in the U.S. and Germany, where the employees have formed a Workers’ Council and filed for certification.

“BuzzFeed Canada employees are thrilled to be through this crucial stage and look forward to the bargaining process,” they said in a Twitter post. “We love our jobs and our small but mighty workforce is excited to solidify mutually beneficial work conditions.”

When they filed for certification in February, the Canadian staff said in a mission statement that their “move to unionize is not born from a lack of trust in BuzzFeed’s leadership, but rather as a move to build a sustainable relationship that’s mutually beneficial. We believe that collective bargaining is the best means to achieve that goal.”