WAMU Content Creators Unanimously Vote to Join SAG-AFTRA

LOS ANGELES (December 3, 2020) — Today, content creators at WAMU 88.5 FM, licensed by American University in Washington, D.C., voted unanimously to recognize SAG-AFTRA as their union. The election was conducted by mail ballot and votes were counted this afternoon by the National Labor Relations Board. The new bargaining unit will cover the public media professionals who create content for all areas of the station, including DCist.com, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, 1A, The Big Broadcast, Hot Jazz Saturday Night and the podcasts Dish City, What’s With Washington and Diane Rehm: On My Mind. The victory allows them to move forward to negotiate a first contract.

WAMU 88.5 is the leading National Public Radio member station serving the Washington, D.C., metro market since 1961. The newly formed bargaining unit will be made up of 80 employees, including hosts, reporters, producers, editors and engineers who create content for the news, programming and digital units. 

"On behalf of our membership, I am delighted to welcome WAMU's talented team of content creators to SAG-AFTRA and to support their efforts for a fair contract. SAG-AFTRA is dedicated to supporting public media professionals as they organize, and WAMU's vote to join our union is an important milestone in these efforts," said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris.

“WAMU’s content creators, as a collective bargaining unit represented by SAG-AFTRA, are thrilled to advance our shared beliefs in transparency, accountability, fairness and most importantly, the truth,” said WAMU Morning Edition host Esther Ciammachilli. 

“This is a remarkable day,” said WAMU reporter Ally Schweitzer. “For the first time in the station’s history, employees have won the legal right to advocate for ourselves in the workplace. We look forward to negotiating in good faith with American University."

WAMU represents the latest in a series of organizing victories for public media professionals with SAG-AFTRA. In recent years, employees at KPCC in Pasadena, KPBS in San Diego, WBEZ in Chicago, KUOW in Seattle, Minnesota Public Radio News, WBUR in Boston, WHYY in Philadelphia, WBGO in Newark, and digital and per diem employees at New York Public Radio have all unionized with SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA also represents public media professionals at National Public Radio 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.