Sports Illustrated Union Files Unfair Labor Practices Lawsuit Following Mass Layoffs

The NewsGuild of New York and Sports Illustrated Union filed a lawsuit against The Arena Group on Thursday following the recent round of layoffs at Sports Illustrated. The groups accuse the company of targeting employees who were engaged in union activities.

“It is clear that the owners of Arena Group are using an organized dispute over the SI license as cover to bust unions and illegally target our members,” said Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild of New York, in a statement from press.

On January 18, Arena Group sent an email to Sports Illustrated employees, informing them that the license under which Arena Group operates the Sports Illustrated brand had been revoked by Authentic Brand Group (ABG). This termination resulted in significant job cuts that will affect all Sports Illustrated Union members. Supervisors and managers of the publication will not be fired, notes the union press release.

Most union employees received 90 days’ notice of their unemployment, which is consistent with New York State’s WARN law. However, a few of them were immediately fired, including a union leader who filed a complaint against the company.

The New York NewsGuild and Sports Illustrated Union are not the only ones accusing The Arena Group of engaging in anti-union tactics. Former CEO Ross Levinsohn resigned from The Arena Group’s board earlier this month, calling the board’s actions and recently announced layoffs “abhorrent” and “irresponsible.”

“Today’s destruction of Sports Illustrated’s famous newsroom and anti-union tactics are the final straw. These actions and inaction by this board of directors are illegal, riddled with self-dealing, and will almost certainly lead to shareholder lawsuits,” Levinsohn wrote in his resignation letter. “In my more than 30 years of experience in public and private companies, I have never witnessed so much negligence in my career.”

Levinsohn was ousted as CEO of The Arena Group in December 2023 after an AI scandal involving fake writers generating content for the brand. At the time, the company claimed the profiles were licensed content from a third-party company called AdVon Commerce. Although Levinsohn stepped down as CEO, he was on its board of directors until The Arena Group’s job cuts were announced on January 18.

The article Sports Illustrated Union sues for unfair labor practices following mass layoffs appeared first on TheWrap.