‘A historic day’: Workers at WESA, WYEP approve first union contract

Workers at two Pittsburgh radio stations this week voted overwhelmingly to approve their first union contract after nearly two years of negotiations. 

Radio hosts, music directors, reporters, editors, digital content staff and other content creators at WESA-FM and WYEP-FM, both under the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp. banner, ratified the three-year contract, 21-3, on Wednesday.

“This is a historic day for PCBC, for those of us who work here and for the community we serve,” the union’s six-member bargaining committee said in a news release. “Pittsburgh is a union town, and we are proud to serve it as a unionized station. We’re proud as well of this contract, which underscores the value our members offer to the station and the region as a whole.”

The union said the contract includes enhanced wages and time-off benefits, and preserves and protects flexible work and scheduling arrangements. It also includes some of the strongest protections in the country governing the use of artificial intelligence, according to the union.

In addition, the contract memorializes a shared commitment to diversity and inclusion, and establishes a labor/management committee to address issues of mutual concern during the contract’s term.

Workers at the radio stations voted to organize with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2022, and negotiations began in early 2023.

“I want to congratulate the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp. employees on their first union contract,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator. “As broadcast professionals — as well as residents of the communities they serve — they are valuable partners in ensuring that the people of the Greater Pittsburgh area can continue to rely on WESA and WYEP for their news, information and entertainment.”

The Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting board of directors approved the contract Wednesday evening. In a statement, the company said the agreement would cover about one-third of its employees. 

“We are pleased that the many months of hard work by members of our respective bargaining teams have resulted in this agreement, which is the initial contract between our organization and SAG-AFTRA,” said Terry O’Reilly, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting. “We are looking forward to working with SAG-AFTRA and its members in our work to provide the highest-quality public media service to the more than 2 million residents of Western Pennsylvania.”

WESA and WYEP join many public media outlets that have organized with SAG-AFTRA, including NPR, NewsHour, and WHYY-FM in Philadelphia. 

“We believe this is a strong first contract that rewards the dedicated professionals at WESA and WYEP with immediate wage increases while also helping to shape the stations’ direction for years to come,” the union bargaining committee said. “We want to thank the management of PCBC both for their good-faith negotiations and for recognizing the value of the people who call PCBC home.”