PBS NewsHour Employees Unionize with SAG-AFTRA

The off-air content staff members of NewsHour Productions, who produce the venerated nightly news program PBS NewsHour, have been officially recognized as a bargaining unit of SAG-AFTRA via a card check agreement. More than 70% of the program’s workers signed on to a petition to unionize.

“We are proud to welcome the talented professionals behind NewsHour,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “The work they do to inform the people of our nation is vital to our democracy. As president of SAG-AFTRA, I am pleased that they are unionizing because I personally enjoy their refreshingly unbiased presentation of the news as a viewer. We believe that they — and every worker — should have a seat at the table when it comes to their working conditions.”

“As the workers behind one of the most trusted news institutions in the country, our goal is to strengthen this pillar of American television news by creating a better, healthier and more transparent workplace,” the NewsHour content staff said in a statement. “We love our jobs and are truly driven by the NewsHour’s mission. We are glad that management chose to recognize our union and focus on the collective bargaining process that will ensure our voices are heard.”

On-air NewsHour employees are already members of the union. They are now joined by the 69 reporters, producers, editors, production assistants and others who not only report and produce the show, but also create NewsHour’s expanding digital footprint and one-hour primetime documentaries.

SAG-AFTRA staff has been working with the NewsHour employees since March 2021. Follow the NewsHour employees at twitter.com/NewsHourUnion.

SAG-AFTRA already represents NPR and member stations KPBS in San Diego, KCRW in Santa Monica, KPCC/LAist (SCPR) in Pasadena, Marketplace, KQED in San Francisco, KUOW in Seattle, MPR News, YourClassical MPR, The Current, WBEZ (CPM) in Chicago, NHPR in Concord, WBUR in Boston, WNYC and Gothamist (NYPR) in New York City, WBGO in Newark, WHYY in Philadelphia, WBGO in Newark, WETA in Arlington, and WAMU & DCist in Washington, D.C., among others.

About SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.