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Union goes public in contract dispute with this Seattle TV



Union photographers at KIRO are calling for a petition drive as they seek a new contract with the Cox/Apollo-owned station.   We reported on the trouble brewing a few days ago.  One alert reader said there was even a mobile billboard circling the Seahawks game being carried today by KIRO

Comments

  1. Unions work very well for teachers. Unions work very well for Boeing. Unfortunately, unions do NOT work very well for television stations. Why? We can’t strike. To strike is to kill off your few remaining viewers and make sure they turn to the competition.

    If the 3 union stations in town could strike together, that might be effective. But as it stands, they bargain and act separately, and have no leverage or real ability to withhold their services. The station owners know this. To have to deal with a union is merely an annoyance to them.

    Work loads have increased exponentially in the last 25 years. Salaries are the same or far LESS in that same timeframe. Our co-workers jump to Amazon and immediately double or triple their salary, and that’s no exaggeration.

    Or…they at least get a healthy raise if they go across the street to 13, the one union free shop in town.

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    Replies
    1. Have we seen local TV news photographers jump ship to Amazon?

      How many TV news photographers are there working at Seattle's stations these days? The photo included with this post leads me to think that KIRO might only have seven.

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    2. I know KING has more photographers than any other station in the Seattle market and have one of the best shops in the country, period. I am sure Wayne can corroborate on this.

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    3. KING photogs are indeed very good and will tell you as such - but if the Nexstar transaction goes through, it will be a major culture and staffing shift - not to mention a more adversarial relationship with the unions. Just take a look at what's going on in PDX with KOIN. Get ready.

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    4. What is going on in Portland with KOIN? Is Nexstar not negotiating well with the union down there?

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    5. Here's a link to an alt paper in PDX with pretty good info on the problems dealing with Nexstar.

      https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2024/08/07/47346851/koin-tv-workers-allege-outrageous-union-busting-tactics-from-management

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    6. Thank you for sharing this article. I had no idea things were that bad at KOIN. I hope they are able to resolve their issues soon. Also, everyone at KING should take note of what's going on at KOIN. I would hate to see KING have the same issues, but the length of time that KOIN has been having these problems shows that Nexstar is quite stubborn.

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  2. You are correct. A tough go, indeed.

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  3. I feel for these guys but don’t think they have much leverage. I doubt an exec above EP/ND knows or cares what good video is and would be happy with a newscast that’s entirely Ring door bell footage or handout video.

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  4. I saw a live shot on KIRO around 6:30 Sunday evening. It started out with a dead microphone on the reporter and then the picture went grossly out of focus before the studio switched to tape. During that same newscast, they kept screwing up the graphics. KING was airing football, so KIRO had both Monique and Elle anchoring. So much for strutting their stuff.

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    Replies
    1. I didn't see the gaffes. It was obvious that KIRO wanted to show it could cover sports without a sports department by bringing in the big guns. They have some more CBS Hawks games, so I anticipate a repeat of those efforts, probably much to the chagrin of the anchors.

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    2. So Elle and Monique anchored all weekend? Will they get time off this week to compensate?

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