The content staff of WFAE have officially formed a union with SAG-AFTRA, becoming the first unionized public radio station in the Carolinas.
A neutral third party verified that more than 70% of WFAE’s content creators signed union authorization cards with the intent to be officially represented by SAG-AFTRA. Based on those results, WFAE management agreed to voluntarily recognize the union. Content staff employees can now begin negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with WFAE.
The bargaining unit will include reporters, producers, hosts, digital staff and other content creators at WFAE.
WFAE is a vital institution to the Charlotte region. Providing news and entertainment programming that informs, enriches, and inspires, both on the radio and via digital platforms, the station’s value is expected to grow, especially as it is close to opening a brand-new community engagement center in Charlotte’s Uptown.
WFAE is one of many public media outlets to unionize with SAG-AFTRA. Among them are colleagues at NPR and member stations across the country, including WESA, KPCC, KUOW, MPR, NHPR, WAMU, WBEZ, WBUR, WHYY and WNYC.
“This union will be key to WFAE’s continued success,” said the employee organizing committee. “Voluntary recognition ensures that we can begin the collective bargaining process as soon as possible to make our station stronger than ever.”
“This is a huge win for WFAE employees and for the larger Charlotte community,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “But it’s also a historic win for organized labor, demonstrating that it is possible to successfully organize in so-called ‘right-to-work’ states. I applaud WFAE management for voluntarily recognizing the will of its content creators to form a union.”
“We are looking forward to working with WFAE management to create a fair contract,” said the organizing committee. “Our goal is to ensure that WFAE is a safe, equitable place to work. With our union, we will have a seat at the table and be able to help shape the future of WFAE and better serve the Charlotte community.”
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.