IBEW Local 98: Comcast pulls contract, forces NBC10 workers to strike

A strike that may jeopardize NBC10's papal weekend coverage occurred Thursday night after Comcast pulled the contract from the table, according to members of the union representing the TV station's nearly 65 photographers and technicians.

The employees, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98, voted Wednesday night to strike and walked off the job Thursday – while NBC10 was airing the 4 p.m. newscast.

"At the behest of upper management at Comcast, IBEW Local 98 stayed at the negotiating table for more than a year after our contract expired," said IBEW Local 98 Assistant Business Manager James Foy in a statement.

"Then, a new NBC management team from New York City came in, after the completion of the NBC Universal deal. They let one final piece of the new contract that would have provided employment for only one or two union members - at no cost to them - destroy the other 95% of the already agreed-upon terms and a year's worth of negotiations," Foy said. "And, incredibly, they did this on the eve of the Pope's visit, an event that Local 98, Comcast and so many others have worked so har‎d to make a success."

The key sticking point in negotiations for the NBC10 employees has been cutting at least six and as many as 12 union positions and replacing them with cheaper workers – leading the now picketing workers to question Comcast's agenda on social media with the hashtag, #FamiliesFirstAtNBC10.

NBC10 said Thursday that it is committed to ensuring the strike has "no impact on our broadcast."

But viewers may have noticed fewer on-air reporters appearing in the evening shows and the absence of an hour-long special on the papal visit.

"Our viewers will continue to have full access to all of our local news and information without interruption," the company spokeswoman said Thursday. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to achieve a mutual resolution of our outstanding issues with the union."

Multiple sources said the station brought in other, non-union photographers last week and those workers got started Thursday night.

The union notified station management last week that they were exercising their right to terminate a collective bargaining agreement in 10 days and set a Sept. 21 strike date. But affected employees remained on the job for several days as the two sides worked on hammering out a deal.

A giant inflatable rat appeared — the hallmark of IBEW Local 98 – outside the Bala Cynwyd station Thursday before being moved to outside the Comcast Center in Center City Thursday.

The rat was by the Philly-based cable giant's headquarters on Friday as the striking employees prepare to return to the picket lines.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal