TV STATIONS Possibility of a merger worries union at WKBN

The station's new owner doesn't want to recognize workers' seniority, the union said.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- A union at WKBN-TV is growing more concerned about a possible merger of news staffs with WYTV.
A consultant is coming to WKBN next week to evaluate each employee and their work, said Joe Bell, a news reporter and shop steward for Local 47 of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians.
The visit could be a simple evaluation by the station's new owners, but Bell thinks it is more likely that it is related to a plan to combine some of the operations of the two local stations.
The consultant could be helping NVT Television of Atlanta, which acquired WKBN on March 1, determine which employees will be kept and which ones will be let go, Bell said.
The union is concerned about that possibility because the station's new owner is refusing to accept seniority rights in contract negotiations, he said.
The union wants any reductions in force to be done by seniority. Not having seniority rights in the contract would allow the new owner to make arbitrary decisions, Bell said.
What's behind this
Workers are concerned about reductions because NVT filed documents last month with the Federal Communications Commission that said it is proposing to take over the newscasts of WYTV and provide other services for 750,000 a year.
A shared-services agreement can't be finalized until the FCC approves the sale of WYTV to Parkin Broadcasting of Los Angeles. A decision on the sale is expected by June 30.
Though the proposed agreement calls for the staff of WKBN to develop WYTV's newscasts, Bell said the union is concerned that some people from each staff would be retained and others let go.
The seniority issue is being discussed in contract negotiations with NVT.
Local 47's contract at WKBN expired Feb. 1 but has been extended. It covers 36 people, including news anchors, photographers, reporters, producers, directors and studio production assistants.
The union also is unhappy with NVT's proposal to eliminate any match on the employees' 401(k) retirement savings plan, Bell said.
"It's causing a lot of bitter feelings at the station," he said.
Union workers, who don't have a pension, now receive a company match of 50 percent on the first 6 percent of their contributions.
There has been just one negotiating session, however, Bell said.
David Coy, general manager of WKBN, could not be reached to comment.
As negotiations progress, the union has filed an objection with the FCC over the proposed sale of WYTV. The union represents workers at WYTV as well as WKBN.
Bell said the objection takes issue with the relationship between the two companies buying the stations. The union argues that Parkin's purchase of WYTV was set up to get around federal rules that prohibit the same company from operating two televisions stations in a market the size of Youngstown.
shilling@vindy.com