Brandi Buchman is a senior staff writer at Daily Kos.
Happy Valentine’s Day! There is no better time for me to extend my appreciation, gratitude, and love to the members of the Daily Kos Guild.
In my professional career as a journalist, this was the first time I had the opportunity to join or be a part of a guild or union. I have, however, had the unfortunate experience of being laid off from a job without much warning. I joined this Guild because I believe in supporting organized labor. I think everyone, in every workplace, is entitled to their rights and dignity and I think that labor is a powerful force that deserves to be treated with respect.
When I first joined our Guild, I didn’t know we would end up in a place where potential layoffs would loom here at Daily Kos. I joined because I wanted community, I wanted support, and I wanted to be informed about my rights as a person who writes for a living—especially when writers get chewed up and spat out in the media industry quicker than you can say “aggregated content.”
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That said, when the sad news about looming layoffs hit Daily Kos, the Guild was a godsend. I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t bereft of information. I had the Daily Kos Guild. Our members are some of the kindest, smartest people I’ve had the pleasure to meet in my career as a reporter. The Guild works tirelessly to bring accurate, honest information to the table for the Community and also for us, the people this information most directly impacts.
I have seen members of our Guild work many late nights and early mornings. When I didn’t feel strong enough to carry the weight of the unfortunate layoff news, I had a member of the Guild willing to lift me up and offer a word of encouragement or solidarity. When I wasn’t sure of something, I had a place to go ask my questions and get answers. And getting answers to important questions is my bread and butter. It is one of the things I value most in this life. And the Guild, time and time again, did that for me. And never with an attitude, never with a hint of frustration. Just patience and understanding. And this is the way I have witnessed Guild leaders interact with management, too. There is a profound respect I have for people who can enter a difficult situation and retain their humanity in it. I’m so proud of what I have been a part of because everyone was on the up and up every step of the way.
When my dad fell ill recently and my time was stretched even thinner between daily work and family emergencies, the Guild rallied around me in support. When a member of our Guild experienced a total loss in a house fire, I watched members of our Guild jump into action and—even while facing financial uncertainty of their own—offer up their own hard-earned dollars to help.
This is community. This is love. This is the kind of stuff that restores my faith in people when it wavers.
In the words of Eugene Debs: “Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization. Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation.”
I love the Daily Kos Guild and I want to see it thrive and succeed as much as I want to see Daily Kos as an entity do the same. I’m so grateful for the progress we have made as a Guild thus far.
And thank you to every single Community member who contributed to the conversation and stood in solidarity with us. You are the spirit of progress, too!
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DKG represents 54 Daily Kos staff members and another 6 "disputed" positions, accounting for 68% of Daily Kos' total workforce. DKG is a Pacific Media Workers Guild member, a local of the NewsGuild/Communication Workers of America, and was certified as the bargaining unit of represented staff in 2022.
As a member of The NewsGuild/Communication Workers of America, we move in solidarity with all our union colleagues across the country and the larger worker rights movement.