The SAG-AFTRA broadcasters who keep the nation moving have overwhelmingly ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Entercom.
These are the SAG-AFTRA radio broadcasters who produce and anchor traffic reports — from the air and from the ground — and provide time-saving and often life-saving information to commuters in major broadcast markets from coast-to-coast, 24/7. They also broadcast news and sports reports in some cities. The new traffic agreement is a national contract covering one bargaining unit with members working in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Hartford and Pittsburgh.
The three-year agreement guarantees increases to annual salaries and salary scales, along with increases to contributions to the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and AFTRA Retirement Plan. The new contract also enhances critical protections for the SAG-AFTRA broadcasters who report on traffic conditions from the air and maintains vital overtime and holiday pay provisions for all bargaining unit members. The negotiations were held in Philadelphia, and SAG-AFTRA members covered by the contract along with their SAG-AFTRA broadcast reps participated in the negotiations in person and via teleconference.
“I am happy the new contract is now in place,” said Karen Trombley, the afternoon drive-time traffic anchor and shop steward at WWJ Newsradio in Detroit. “Being part of the negotiations gave me the insight on how to keep doing the best on my end so we can be successful when we return to the bargaining table in 2023.”
This item originally featured in the SAG-AFTRA magazine spring 2020 issue.