Tuesday, November 25, 2008

IBEW Techs at NBC CH10 Authorize Strike

IBEW Local 98 represented Broadcast Engineers at Philadelphia NBC affiliate CH 10 have voted to strike if their current contract talks with the station reach a stalemate.

The members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98, are upset that the station is trying to do away with seniority.

NBC affiliate CH 10 and Fox 29 recently entered into an agreement to share ENG video footage as a cost saving measure for both Philadelphia TV stations. That arrangement could become problematic in the event of a strike.

Union represented employees at NBC10 and Fox29 are concerned about the video sharing agreement between the two stations. Many are worried that this agreement will result in job cuts.

A few months ago the stations began sharing some helicopter services, then recently it was announced that they would share video for certain events.

The union, which represents around 75 employees at NBC CH 10, has been working without a contract for the last three months.

The same type of situation occurred at CBS CH 3, where the technical employees worked without a contract for two years.

When they authorized a strike, a settlement was reached with CBS CH 3 station management two weeks later.

A Ch 10 spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the station's policy not to discuss personnel and collective bargaining matters.

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