A Love Letter to Workplace Unionization (and a Critique of the Movement’s Flaws)

A Journalist on Unions • Trump on Taylor Swift • RFK Jr.’s Super Bowl Ad [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( A Love Letter to Workplace Unionization (and a Critique of the Movement’s Flaws) Good morning from the Hive newsroom. When the online news site Gawker unionized in 2015, it gave rise to a wave of labor organizing in digital media. As Hamilton Nolan, the labor reporter at the center of the Gawker effort, writes in his new book, The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor, “We had a lavish roof deck at the office, but no system of getting regular raises; big parties with open bars, but no functional system of internal communication; a pancake machine in the kitchen, but no severance pay.” In [his interview]( with VF’s Jack McCordick, he talks about why he thinks the labor movement is “absolutely central to the success or failure of the American experiment” and whether Joe Biden really is “the most pro-union president in American history.” Elsewhere, [Bess Levin writes about Donald Trump](’s latest delusion: According to the former president, Taylor Swift owes him her loyalty. (To be clear, there is no reality in which the pop singer, who endorsed Biden in 2020, would publicly offer the GOP presidential contender her support.) Plus, [Eric Lutz explains RFK Jr.](’s bizarre Super Bowl ad that seemed to employ nostalgia and “lay claim to his family’s political legacy—to the potential benefit of an aspiring autocrat.” Yes, it’s truly weird out there. Thanks for reading. [“Unions Are Laboratories of Democracy”: Hamilton Nolan on Joe Biden, Gawker, and the Power of Labor]( By [Jack McCordick]( [The journalist who helped spur digital media organizing talks to Vanity Fair about his new book, The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor, which serves as both a love letter to workplace unionization and a critique of the movement’s shortcomings.]( [Read more button](   [Trump Lists Out the Reasons Taylor Swift Should Endorse Him, as If That Might Actually Happen]( By [Bess Levin]( [According to the ex-president, Swift owes him her loyalty because he made her “so much money.”]( [Read more button](   [RFK Jr.’s Super Bowl Ad Was a Bizarre Attempt at Nostalgia]( By [Eric Lutz]( [The conspiracy candidate apologized to his frustrated family—but left the imitation of JFK’s iconic 1960 ad pinned to his X profile.]( [Read more button](   [Donald Trump’s NATO Comments Might Blow Up in His Face]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [Shortly after Trump threatened to “not protect” certain US allies from Russia, a flurry of Senate Republicans backed the Ukraine aid bill he’s been trying to tank.]( [Read more button](   [“Merrick Garland” Is a Dirty Word Around the White House These Days: Report]( By [Bess Levin]( [“The villain here is Merrick Garland.”]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast