Staff at Charlotte Radio Station WFAE Attain First Union Contract

Content staff at 90.7 WFAE in Charlotte have signed their first contract with the station since forming a union with SAG-AFTRA 13 months ago.

The bargaining unit overwhelmingly voted to approve the three-and-a-half year agreement with WFAE.

The bargaining committee issued a statement, saying, “WFAE was the first public radio station in the Carolinas to unionize, under the banner of #WeMakeWFAE. After a year and a half of organizing and bargaining, we’re celebrating new guarantees on pay, time off and promotions. We’ll also have a seat at the table as WFAE grows and evolves in the coming years.”

The contract guarantees higher minimum salaries for full-time and part-time employees and annual raises over the term of the contract. It includes additional time off and new policies for promotions, scheduling and remote work. WFAE also has agreed to regular reviews of compensation and diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring and departures, and mandatory posting of salary minimums on union job ads.

WFAE’s bargaining unit includes hosts, reporters, announcers, producers and editors who create content for all parts of the station, including the daily talk show Charlotte Talks and the wfae.org website.

“This contract is the result of a year of support and hard work from the bargaining unit and the bargaining committee, as well as SAG-AFTRA staff. It ensures that WFAE can remain strong as it serves the Charlotte community,” said SAG-AFTRA Chief Broadcast Officer Mary Cavallaro. WFAE is one of many public media outlets to unionize with SAG-AFTRA, including NPR and its member stations across the country, as well as WETA, NewsHour, WESA, KPCC, KUOW, MPR, NHPR, WAMU, WBEZ, WBUR, WHYY and WNYC, 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.