The union for writers and producers at New York City’s flagship PBS member station is demanding that WNET Thirteen cease “union-busting proposals” and cough up a pay raise after months of delays, according to a letter obtained by The Post.
The Writers Guild of America East told the left-leaning station’s management on Monday that it must take “urgent action” in shoring up a new collective bargaining agreement for its members, according to the letter.
The union and the station have been negotiating since April on a new contract that the guild hopes will include provisions for “living wages and well-earned time off from work.”
The contract had been in effect from July 2019 until this past June. Since then, it has been extended several times. The most recent extension expires Oct. 9.
“Unfortunately, Thirteen management has hindered negotiations by insisting upon extreme proposals that threaten their work and the union,” according to the letter, which was addressed to James Attwood, chair of Channel 13’s board of trustees, and Dr. Antoinette DeLuca, who chairs the channel’s community advisory board.
The guild went on to accuse management of “seek[ing] to eviscerate its staff’s union by demanding the power to assign their work to non-union employees with no meaningful limits.”
The letter asks management to “withdraw their union-busting proposals, agree to wage increases that reflect the rising cost of living and include paid time off for per diem employees.”
The Post has sought comment from WNET Thirteen.
Unlike commercial television, Channel 13, which has served the New York City metropolitan area since 1962, is a PBS member station that is supported by a combination of federal, state and local funding as well as contributions from viewers and philanthropic grants and endowments.
Writers Guild of America East and Writers Guild of America West are also negotiating with three public television stations on a new contract for 150 freelance writers.
The unions are in talks with WNET Thirteen, GBH in Boston and Los Angeles-based Public Media Group, which operates two stations in the city.
Earlier this year, WNET Group, which oversees Thirteen as well as WLIW in Long Island and NJ PBS in New Jersey, announced layoffs to its New Jersey unit.
The guild “stands by our members as they take the actions necessary to protect their union and their livelihood,” according to the letter.
“We implore you to use your power and influence to support workers at WNET Thirteen and help them secure a fair contract now,” the union wrote in its letter.
