SAG-AFTRA Members at WHYY Ratify Contract

PHILADELPHIA — After nearly two years of negotiations,  SAG-AFTRA members at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia have overwhelmingly approved their first-ever union contract. It sets a salary floor, resulting in more than half the unit receiving a guaranteed wage increase effective on Oct. 1.

The WHYY bargaining unit consists of public media professionals who create content for all areas of the station, including radio, television and digital. The unit won its union election 70 to 1 on Oct. 30, 2019, and has been bargaining for a fair contract ever since, aside from a brief pause due to the pandemic. Frustrated by drawn-out negotiations, union members held a rally in July of this year in order to bring attention to their cause, and they have been actively gaining support on Twitter via a @WHYYunion account and #WeMakeWHYY hashtag.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “After a long negotiation process, SAG-AFTRA members finally have a solid first agreement with WHYY that implements vital benefits and pay increases. I congratulate our negotiating team as well as our amazing WHYY members on their new contract.”

Contract highlights include:

• Five percent raises for more than half the unit. 
• Six weeks of paid parental leave.
• Flexible work options.  
• Comp time.
• Wage scales and mobility to protect from attrition; equity within job titles. 

“The wage structures we’ve set up in this contract create a path forward where one never existed before,” said shop steward Nina Feldman. “We’re proud to guarantee some mobility for our colleagues and future employees alike, ensuring that WHYY can become a sustainable place to build a career.”

In addition to WHYY, SAG-AFTRA also represents public media professionals at NHPR in Concord, New Hampshire; WAMU in Washington, D.C.; Marketplace AP; KPCC in Pasadena, California; KPBS in San Diego; WBEZ in Chicago; KUOW in Seattle; Minnesota Public Radio, MPR Current and Classical; digital, per diem, temp and Gothamist employees at New York Public Radio; WBUR in Boston; KCRW in Santa Monica, California; and WBGO in Newark, New Jersey. SAG-AFTRA also represents public media professionals at NPR and several other public radio and television stations.

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.