The Broadcast Steering Committee kicked off on March 26 with a pair of special guests: SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and Executive Vice President Ben Whitehair. At the meeting, led by Chair Cheri Preston and held via Zoom, Drescher lauded broadcasters for their work during the pandemic and keeping the public informed about the war in Ukraine.
Then, Whitehair expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the work broadcasters do, as well as to those present who have volunteered to serve on the committee. He also praised broadcasters’ professionalism, integrity and articulacy.
As the committee began its business, safety was a major point of discussion. Vice President, Broadcasters Bob Butler talked about the kinds of protections that would help keep reporters safe, such as the right to decline a dangerous assignment without fear of reprisal from an employer.
the committee noted that multimedia journalists and radio reporters, who go into the field alone, are particularly vulnerable. In particular, one of the dangers of solo live shots is that the reporter is focused on the camera while doing the shoot, and can’t look out for potential hazards around them.
The discussion took place amid a backdrop of increasing violence and harassment against reporters. Butler is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, a region that has seen a disturbing number of attacks on news crews in recent years.
Planning also continued on putting together a national safety summit, an idea that grew from meetings between newspeople and law enforcement at the San Francisco-Northern California Local.
Additionally, the committee discussed the challenges to returning to an office environment after, for many, two years working from home. Each station is approaching return to in-person work differently, and members have different comfort levels about being in close proximity to their colleagues and others in the field.
Committee members talked about the lack of communication from management at some stations, arbitrary rules around the use of remote tools such as Zoom, and the desire for assurances that there will be protections in place to prevent the spread of COVID, even as some employers are acting as though the pandemic has ended. There was also a thoughtful discussion about the psychological impact of returning to work in person and the fact that the way people relate to their colleagues has changed since the onset of the pandemic.
Lastly, Chief Broadcast Officer Mary Cavallaro led an examination of certain provisions in personal services contracts that are unfairly weighted toward employers, and what the union can do to mitigate this in bargaining.
The union plans on holding educational programming for all members regarding personal services contracts in the coming months.
This item was originally featured in the SAG-AFTRA magazine spring 2022 issue.