The National Writers Union has been forging ahead this fall with a campaign to get a group of freelancers the $85,000 they say they are collectively owed by Ebony for work that has been published in the magazine.

Thirty-eight freelancers filed a lawsuit against Ebony in September along with the NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance and contract writers, including journalists, technical writers and authors, among others. The group had their initial court hearing in Chicago in November. Their next court date is scheduled for January 5th.

The union became involved in the dispute after writers started using the hashtag #EbonyOwes to draw attention to the magazine's non-payment of its freelance contributors. The hashtag saw increased activity again earlier this week after the magazine threw its annual Power 100 gala dinner, inspiring angry tweets from writers who have still not been paid for their work.

You can read more details about the NWU's campaign in their president's latest column on the NWU website.