Comic Book Workers United, the first union to support workers within comics publishing, was officially certified by workers at Image Comics after a secret ballot.
The results of the vote were announced today in a move that officially certifies CBWU, which was formed with assistance from the Communications Workers of America. The recognition from Image Comics would allow the union to establish a bargaining committee and begin negotiations with its members. The publisher, founded on principles of creators working for Image retaining the rights to any work they created, has failed to recognize the union since workers at the company decided to participate in the formal secret ballot process.
Comic Book Workers United has won their union election, making Image Comics the first unionized comic book publisher in the United States. The result was a 7/2 vote in favor of the union. The ballots of three staffers were not opened because of a frivolous legal challenge on eligibility. The challenge had no impact on our win. CBWU and the CWA are pushing for their inclusion in the democratic process.
We are excited to continue working with CWA on the next steps towards securing a strong, fair, and exemplary first contract for comic book publishing workers after winning this election.
The comic book industry has its first union for workers employed by publishers. CWBU is currently a rarity in an industry that has historically been resistant to unionization. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America only voted to admit writers of comics and graphic novelists in May 2020 because they don't meet broadcast or print requirements. The process of creating requirements for those specific creatives in the field to join the union was still underway as of the time.
The results of the vote on unionization by the Communications Workers of America were recorded earlier this morning, according to a statement provided to io9. Everyone at Image is committed to this process and we look forward to working together on this.
The piece has been updated with commentary from Image Comics and Comic Book Workers United.
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