Staff Members at Pittsburgh Community Broadcast Corp. Ratify First-Ever Union Contract

SAG-AFTRA members at Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp. (PCBC) have voted overwhelmingly to ratify the nonprofit broadcaster’s first-ever union contract.

PCBC owns and operates 91.3 WYEP-FM, the region’s independent public radio station for the past 50 years, and 90.5 WESA-FM, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station. Employees took a near-unanimous vote to unionize with SAG-AFTRA just over two years ago. The union today represents a total of 27 radio hosts, music directors, reporters, editors, digital content staff and other content creators.

“This is a historic day for PCBC, for those of us who work here, and for the community we serve,” said the union's six-member bargaining committee. “Pittsburgh is a union town, and we are proud to serve it as a unionized station. We’re proud as well of this contract, which underscores the value our members offer to the station and the region as a whole.”

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “I want to congratulate the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp. employees on their first union contract. As broadcast professionals — as well as residents of the communities they serve — they are valuable partners in ensuring that the people of the Greater Pittsburgh area can continue to rely on WESA and WYEP for their news, information and entertainment.”

The newly ratified three-year contract includes enhanced wages and time-off benefits, while preserving and protecting flexible work and scheduling arrangements. It memorializes a shared commitment to diversity and inclusion, and establishes a labor/management committee to address issues of mutual concern during the contract’s term. And its rules governing the use of artificial intelligence offer some of the strongest protections in the country.

“We believe this is a strong first contract that rewards the dedicated professionals at WESA and WYEP with immediate wage increases, while also helping to shape the stations' direction for years to come,” said the bargaining committee. "We want to thank the management of PCBC both for their good-faith negotiations and for recognizing the value of the people who call PCBC home."

The contract was approved by SAG-AFTRA’s Executive Committee and by the union’s Pittsburgh Local Board. Employees voted to approve it by a 21 to 3 margin on Wednesday. PCBC’s board of directors ratified the contract on Wednesday evening. 

WESA and WYEP are among many public media outlets to have unionized with SAG-AFTRA. Those include NPR and its member stations across the country, as well as WETA, NewsHour, WFAE, KPCC, KUOW, MPR, NHPR, WAMU, WBEZ, WBUR, WHYY and WNYC.

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.