NEW YORK (July 1, 2026) – Workers at Scientific American, represented by the Writers Guild of America East, held a rally yesterday, June 30,
Wednesday July 1, 2026
Scientific American Union Holds Rally After Layoffs and Springer Nature’s Sale of Historic Science Publication; Demand Recognition from New Owners LabX
NEW YORK (July 1, 2026) – Workers at Scientific American, represented by the Writers Guild of America East, held a rally yesterday, June 30, following Springer Nature’s decision to sell the publication and immediately lay off staff. The 180-year-old science publication known for its authoritative science journalism is the longest-running continuously published magazine in the country.
The rally and picket outside of Springer Nature offices in Manhattan featured speakers from the Scientific American Union bargaining unit, New York City Assemblymembers Claire Valdez and Grace Lee, NYC Central Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Janella Hinds, Manhattan Deputy Borough President Miesha Smith, and WGAE Executive Director Sam Wheeler.
Last Tuesday, June 23, the international scientific publisher Springer Nature sold Scientific American to LabX Media Group. 15 members of staff were immediately laid off, and salaries of remaining workers were cut by as much as 30 percent.
Staff at Scientific American were unionizing with the WGAE in an effort to improve the publication’s operation, bolster its editorial independence and secure a sustainable future. The company made the sale three days before the election vote was counted, after which the NLRB confirmed the union voted 31 to 1 in favor of the union. Springer Nature’s actions constitute blatant union-busting.
In a statement, the Scientific American Union said, “We are calling on our new owners, LabX Media Group, to immediately recognize our unit and meet us at the bargaining table to work together to steer a sustainable future of Scientific American—including, but going far beyond, a commitment to respecting our editorial independence. We have already developed a number of proposals for making our journalism more profitable that we look forward to discussing in these negotiations.”
In addition to Scientific American, the WGA East’s Online Media sector represents workers at Bustle Digital Group, Civic News Group, Committee to Protect Journalists, Fast Company & Inc., Financial Times Specialists, Future PLC, Futuro Media, Gizmodo Media USA, HuffPost, Jalopnik at Static Media, Hearst Magazines, Inc., Jewish Currents, NowThis, Onion Inc., Salon, Slate, Talking Points Memo, The Intercept, The Root, Vox Media and VICE.
National Association of Science Writers Conference Update
Update: the National Association of Science Writers Conference has gone fully online! So, I know I made the right choice by deciding not to go in person, and the good news is some of the panels I wanted to go to are gonna be available online.
That also means that if any of you dear readers are interested in going, it is now more accessible and affordable and safer. Certainly less rewarding overall so I hope to try again for IRL in 2023. If you would like to become a member of NASW you’ll get a discount (and joining as a new member is cheaper than paying the difference.)
If you don’t have someone who can “sponsor” you (ie send an email explaining that you are a real science communicator) then I can do it for...up to two more people. First two people who ask, but you have to either be a real science journalist/PIO or seriously plan to be one. And you’ll have to send me some clips and tell me about yourself and such.
If you’re going, HMU and maybe we can sit at some virtual table together! Yes, last time they had actual images of tables and chairs you could click on to “sit” with people. And as always, if you really want to know something about what I do, you can DM me on whatever social media.
I’m not an expert or panelist but I will tell you what I know about:
Bay Nature Magazine (where I work now)
The Poynter Fellowship (which funds me and provides lots of resources)
Science Journalism Grad School (The one I went to at BU is no more but I researched them all)
Other places I have worked (Vox, Ripley’s, Newsweek, PBS Newshour, National Geographic)
TikTok, Tumblr, other Social Media
Covering animals
Minimizing professional exploitation
This is for @buglife but tumblr refused to cooperate with it being a submission, probably because I’ve gone and used images (plural). 🙄
Anyhoo!
This is from a different isopod book, which is actually available for Kindle (or print) despite the 1979 publication date. It’s a fascinating read, although these particular snippets are chosen for the fact that they made me laugh rather than being representative of the book as a whole. Sutton does have a writing style I enjoy overall, but it is still science books!
Basically this is just four quotes from the book, semi-out of context, for shits and mostly giggles.
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I can’t tell if the last sentence is disappointed or just a diss. ;-P
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More comments on isopods with “impressive sexual equipment”…
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And now we know what happens in the laboratory!
I’d say the dude needs a hobby, but based on how many things he’s published, he quite obviously has one and is pursuing it with aplomb as well as paintbrushes. xD
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And I’m not sure I have any damn good reason that this image made me laugh, but it made me wonder how drunk pillbugs would flee from light sources, so there is that.
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Hopefully this was mildly amusing!
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The book is Woodlice (Invertebrate types) by S. Sutton; the Kindle edition is relatively gently priced, not so much the paper editions. >.< At least you can get a free Kindle reader on your phone?
This book is also where I learned pillbugs don’t pee (in a general sense; Arthropoda as a rule doesn’t pee as a separate thing, but most of them have kidney-type organs that do something similar before mixing it with the feces). Pillbugs just went ‘nah, who needs that. Shit only.’ O.o
