YOUNGSTOWN WKBN-TV to begin layoffs, union says

Union officials at a local television station rejected a request for a pay cut.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Workers at WKBN-TV are bracing for layoffs to be announced Monday.
Union officials have been told job cuts will be made after wage reductions were refused, said Joe Bell, a reporter and shop steward for Local 47 of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians.
Roland Adeszko, general manager for the station, which operates Channel 27, could not be reached.
Bell said union officials weren't told how many people would be laid off. The station employs 95. NABET represents 35 photographers, reporters, directors and production assistants; 20 other employees are represented by another union.
Bell said company officials had told the union that layoffs would come unless it accepted a 1.95 percent pay cut and a wage freeze next year. The new offer also included the elimination of step pay increases for longevity, which would amount to pay losses of up to 11 percent, he said.
Discussions
Bell said union officials discussed the proposal with management but didn't take it to the membership because management wouldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be layoffs if it passed. Management also was unwilling to provide financial information to the union, he said.
The union's contract doesn't expire until Feb. 1, 2004.
Bell said union officials were told the station's owner, Gocom of Charlotte, N.C., wanted to open negotiations early because it is looking to cut costs. The request didn't surprise the union because Gocom has taken cost-cutting measures at other stations it owns, Bell said.