Workers protest the pace of talks

Workers are frustrated at not having received a wage offer in contract talks.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- Union workers at WKBN-TV are dressing in black every Friday to protest what they say is the lack of progress in contract negotiations.
"They're mourning the death of fairness," said a notice issued by union employees at the station.
The protest by workers on air and behind the camera is designed to send a message, said Joe Bell, news reporter.
"It's a public expression of our concern and displeasure over the slow pace of contract negotiations," said Bell, a shop chairman for Local 47 of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians.
Local 47 covers 36 people at WKBN, including news anchors, photographers, reporters, producers, directors and studio production assistants.
The protest started last Friday. The union is working under a contract that expired Feb. 1, and members have given union leaders authorization to call a strike.
A bargaining session is set for Wednesday, but Bell said recent sessions have produced no progress.
No wage proposal yet
Management has not offered a wage proposal, he said. The only offers from management are on items that it wants to take away, such as seniority rights and matching funds for a 401(k) retirement plan, he said.
NVT Television of Atlanta, which acquired the station March 1, also imposed a new health insurance plan. Bell said the plan should have been bargained because it has increased the costs for workers.
The new plan reduced employee contributions for premiums from 20 percent to 15 percent but has higher deductibles and co-payments, he said.
David Coy, station general manager, could not be reached to comment.
Bell said union leaders are guessing that the slow pace of negotiations is tied to NVT's interest in taking over the newscasts for WYTV. Parkin Broadcasting of Los Angeles is in the process of buying WYTV and has been negotiating with NVT on a shared-services agreement.
Bell said employees at WKBN have been told there would be a consolidation of services but haven't been offered any details.
NVT has filed a shared-services agreement with the Federal Communications Commission that calls for it to take over the newscasts of WYTV and provide other services for 750,000 a year. The agreement can't be approved until the WYTV sale goes through, which is expected by the end of June.
shilling@vindy.com