WFAE journalists, content creators unionize in Charlotte
.JPG "WFAE sign at radio station offices in University City in Charlotte.")
UPDATE: On Dec. 2, SAG-AFTRA announced: “... WFAE management agreed to voluntarily recognize the union. Content staff employees can now begin negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with WFAE.”
Original story from Nov. 15: WFAE’s content staff announced its intention to unionize Tuesday, according to a news release. It would be the first public radio station in the Carolinas to do so.
The Charlotte-based NPR station will join SAG-AFTRA, The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, to unionize.
“As the hosts, reporters, producers and other content creators behind Charlotte’s NPR news source, our goal is to ensure WFAE is a safe and nurturing place to work,” the organizing committee said in a statement. “We deserve a seat at the table in making big decisions about the station’s future and in negotiating our wages, salaries and working conditions.”
We Make NPR, a website and hashtag tracking union progress for the radio network, says the network has proudly been a union shop for nearly 40 years.
We Make NPR includes more than 500 unionized radio, podcast, and digital producers, editors, hosts, and reporters based in the U.S.
In addition to radio, other media outlets across the country are unionizing, most are joining The News Guild which represents print and online publications. The Charlotte Observer unionized and parent company McClatchy voluntarily recognized the union in March.
Gannett, parent company of the USA Today network, has over 200 unionized employees at 14 publications who went on strike earlier this month to protest layoffs, cost cutting measures, and delays in contract negotiations, Poynter reported.
WFAE union
More than 70% of the station’s content creators signed the petition to unionize. They are now asking management to voluntarily recognize the union, according to a letter sent to WFAE President Joe O’Connor, included in the news release.
The organizing committee wrote that in the past three years, WFAE has experienced a period of major growth. It is on the brink of opening a brand-new community engagement center in Charlotte’s Uptown, the release said.
“It’s an exciting and critical moment,” the organizing committee said. “We truly love WFAE and are proud to work here. We want to ensure its continued success, and we believe a long-term investment in staff will improve morale and reduce staff turnover.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 12:00 PM.
