Broadcast Report

Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon and National Board member Ellen Crawford, members of the President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement, and Local President Michele Proude meet with broadcast members at WBZ-TV/AM. From left, Doug Cope, Nichole Davis, Proude, Damon, Crawford, Rod Fritz, Jim Armstrong and Chris Fama.

The past 12 months have been busy for the New England Local. Contracts were settled for WGME-TV (Portland), WVIT-TV (Hartford), WHDH-TV (Boston) and TTWN (Boston). Prior to that, contracts were settled for WBZ radio and TV, the largest union stations in our local, with three contracts in total. Gains made included new weight limits on equipment carried by TV reporters, a new radio stipend for planned streaming of newscasts, and increased employer contribution to AFTRA Health & Retirement. Negotiation Committee Member Rod Fritz called the talks “surprisingly smooth and amicable on both sides.” Fritz also noted, “This is the way talks should go for every negotiation.” Negotiations continue at WODS-FM and WBMX-FM in Boston, as well as at WFSB-TV in Hartford and WTNH-TV in New Haven. Contracts for WCVB-TV (Boston) and WTIC-AM/FM (Hartford) are out of negotiation and expected to be approved by the Executive Committee of the SAG-AFTRA National Board on May 19.

In 2015, the Local Broadcast Steering Committee organized a Personal Services Contracts seminar led by Mary Cavallaro, SAG-AFTRA chief broadcast officer. Members learned about negotiating individual PSCs, provisions to understand, and how the union can help. In December, the Local BSC organized a shop steward/leader training led by National Director, News & Broadcast Tom Higgins and New England Executive Director Susan Nelson. The training covered duty of fair representation, Weingarten rights, grievances and arbitration. Both events attracted broadcast members from across New England. Please contact the local office if you have a training idea or issue to discuss. 

Last, but certainly not in the least, reporter safety continues to be on the forefront of journalists’ minds. SAG-AFTRA and the National Broadcast Steering Committee have launched the Safety4Media campaign, a resource for safety tips and information, including a confidential way to report safety issues on the job. Please check out Safety4Media.org and follow us on Twitter @safety4media.

This item was originally featured in the May 2016 local newsletter.