SOME producers at Sportsradio 94WIP have taken the first
steps to joining SAG-AFTRA, the union that reps film and television performers
and broadcasters. They will vote on whether to unionize March 18.
"[Producers] realized the only way to have a consistent
voice is to become a union and sit down and start bargaining," Steve Leshinski, executive director of the
Philadelphia chapter of SAG-AFTRA, said about the efforts to unionize.
Marc Rayfield, CBS Radio Philadelphia's senior vice
president and marketing manager, sent out a staffwide memo last month urging
the 14 producers to vote against unionization. "I have worked at radio
stations with unions and at radio stations without unions and I believe a union
adds costs without comparative benefits for employees," Rayfield wrote in
a memo leaked to me. "I believe that a union adds another layer of
complexity and an unnecessary filter for communications."
Leshinski disagreed. "In a lot of ways, it's a benefit
to management because you have direct communication with the employees,"
he said. "You have enforceable contract rules. It protects against
favoritism."
Leshinski said that one reason the producers may be seeking
to unionize at this juncture is they recently watched as the unionized on-air
talent negotiated a favorable contract. WIP also recently moved to Old City,
and producers were unable to bargain over the ramifications of the move.
I emailed Rayfield about the memo. He said he had nothing
else to add.
Source: Philly.com
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