A little while after I hit publish on the post about Chicago Public Media workers seeking SAG-AFTRA representation, this report from NW Labor Press came across the transom. On October 8 employees at community radio KBOO-FM in Portland, OR ratified their first contract as a collective bargaining unit. The employees joined the Communications Workers of America in May.
According to the report, “The newly-ratified collective bargaining agreement mostly codifies existing employment policies into a legally binding contract, so that future managers can’t change policies unilaterally.”
Union representation in community radio is not unusual, especially given the progressive political outlook of many stations’ programming and staff. Many stations also broadcast labor-oriented public affairs programs, such as KBOO’s Labor Radio.
