WESA-WYEP/Pittsburgh Content Staff Votes To Unionize With SAG-AFTRA

Union Vote

Content staffers at PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY BROADCASTING CORP., operator of News-Talk WESA and Triple A WYEP/PITTSBURGH and JAZZWORKS, made it official by voting to form a union with SAG-AFTRA. The staffers previously petitioned management to voluntarily recognize their bargaining unit in AUGUST; THURSDAY's vote (11/17) was 96% in favor of unionizing.

“We’ve worked for months to get to this point, but we wouldn’t have gotten here without every staff member who supported this effort,” a statement from the employee organizing committee read. “PITTSBURGH is a union town, and we believe employees should have a say in our working conditions. We look forward to forming a representative bargaining committee and moving forward to ratifying our first contract.” 

“We are thrilled to welcome PCBC workers into SAG-AFTRA. Investing in good, sustainable local journalism is an investment in the community, so this is a win not only for members, but for PITTSBURGH itself,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director DUNCAN CRABTREE-IRELAND. “It’s not lost on us that, as we celebrate this win for local content creators, our union brothers and sisters at the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE are on strike. I urge the paper’s management to start negotiating in good faith and get those people back to work.”

WYEP host ROSEMARY WELSCH said, “With the backing of a union, PCBC employees can create a career path that allows for growth, advancement and longevity. It allows us to better invest in, not only our work, but the community we serve.”

“There were a lot of hotly contested elections taking place this fall,” said WESA Reporter and Editor CHRIS POTTER “This wasn’t one of them. We could have called this race back in AUGUST, when it was clear the union had overwhelming support from staff. But now that the mail-in ballots have been counted, I’m happy everyone can see our devotion to this station and to each other. It all came down to turnout, and it’s our turn now to negotiate our first contract. We look forward to beginning WESA’s next chapter with management -- even as we work to keep telling the stories that matter to you.”

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