This is not sustainable.
Three years in and nearly 50,000 articles later, we have some ideas but need your help.
Dear Subscribers:
In the beginning, there was the dream: To create the most comprehensive source for news and views about today’s unions.
January marked the third year since the launch of LaborUnionNews.com in 2022. In that time, we’ve shared nearly 50,000 labor and workplace-related articles, over a thousand NLRB updates, hundreds of original content articles, and 161 episodes of Labor Relations Radio.
Unfortunately, while we have several thousand free subscribers, less than 10 percent are paid subscribers. This means that, for the time and resources spent, LaborUnionNews.com is a financial drain.
‘Crowdsourcing’ the news. In a market where large publishers charge hundreds or thousands for subscriptions, our vision has been (and continues to be) to provide a balance of news and objective views to subscribers on both sides of the labor divide at a low enough cost that enough Human Resource departments, employment and labor attorneys, as well as unions would be willing to become paid subscribers to help defray the costs. That is, apparently, not the case.
Samuel Gompers once noted, “The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit.”
Our goal, though, is much simpler: Don’t operate at a loss.
So, we have a few ideas:
Put more content under paywall. While this is always an option, I’d prefer not to do it as it limits the information free subscribers and the public can see.
Open LaborUnionNews.com to sponsors and advertisers. With around 100,000 views per month, if you are an organization that would like to advertise or become a sponsor of LaborUnionNews.com on a monthly basis, you can contact us at laborunionnews@protonmail.com.
Lower the subscription price. If you’re a free subscriber and think that $10 per month or $100 per year is too much, here’s an offer you can take advantage of: 50% off your first year if you purchase an annual subscription.
Note: If you’re already a paid subscriber and wish to use this discount for an additional year, I *believe* you can do so. If you choose this option and have questions, please contact me directly.
On a personal note, Rosie the Researcher and I truly enjoy bringing you the news and views on today’s unions. However, we need your help to grow this publication and its viability.
If you have some ideas to improve LaborUnionNews.com to make it more viable, please share it with us.
With best regards,
Peter [aka ‘The Editor’]