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KPCC newsroom votes to join SAG-AFTRA
SCPR's Pasadena headquarters, home of KPCC.
The KPCC newsroom is going union. News staff have voted 35 to 26 in favor of joining SAG-AFTRA, which represents actors and broadcast journalists. The union will represent 65 reporters, producers, show hosts and news anchors.
The election was held on January 11; the votes were tallied today by the National Labor Relations Board.
“The vote count is clear,” said reporter Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, a member of the in-house union organizing committee. “We look forward to sitting down with management to collectively bargain for the content employees at KPCC.”
Management expressed a similar view. “We respect the right of people to collectively bargain and to vote, and we are looking forward now to the negotiation phase,” said Bill Davis, President and CEO of KPCC’s parent company, Southern California Public Radio.
Now that the vote is over, “we go back to working as one unit,” said Davis. “The organization’s mission, goals and objectives do not change one bit.”
Guzman-Lopez echoed those sentiments.
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“We want to continue making this a very strong news organization, and we hope that this will allow us to grow even more.”
In November, the union organizing committee presented SCPR management with a letter signed by 41 employees expressing their desire to organize.
The company and the union will now begin negotiations on a contract.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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