It's Almost Been a Year
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Employees at WUSA (DC) that represented by the IBEW union says that Tegna is not bargaining in good faith when it comes to a new union contract.
The WUSA-9 unit, which includes nearly 40 technicians, camera operators, editors and other employees, has been working under an expired contract since November.
“Everything we’ve proposed, it’s been ‘no, no, no,’” Local 1200 Business Manager Ken Brown said.
Putting Tegna’s foot-dragging in perspective, Brown said that since talks began last October, he’s negotiated five other contracts – two Baltimore local stations plus CBS News, Fox Sports and MoodMedia – wrapping up each one in a matter of days.
Local 1200 filed an unfair labor practice charge in August, detailing the union’s efforts and Tegna’s bad faith. The National Labor Relations Board is investigating it, along with a shop steward’s charges of management harassment over the past year
But, this isn’t the only Tegna station that the union is having problems with.
Other IBEW locals with members at Tegna stations around the country have fought, or are fighting now, against concessionary demands affecting wages, shifts, vacation schedules, overtime, layoffs, severance, training and more. At KSDK in St. Louis, Local 4 has erected a billboard calling for people to boycott the station.
Washington, D.C., Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton wrote, “There is no doubt that the workers represented by the IBEW have contributed to [WUSA-9’s] success. I look forward to hearing of a speedy, positive agreement.”
Don’t hold your breath on that one.
