After
Three Years, Chicago Station
Agrees to Contract
January 14, 2005
Chicago Local 1220 members employed by superstation
WGN-Channel 9 finally ratified a collective bargaining agreement
in late December after years of stalled talks and a poisoned
atmosphere.
"Its tough going to work every day for three years without
a contract," said IBEW Broadcasting Department Director Peter
Homes, who participated in the last round of talks. "Hopefully
now theyll have a little peace."
The 170 members in the unit editors, technical directors, engineers,
camera operators and audio/video technicians quickly approved
the contract after it had been negotiated by the team led by Homes
and Local 1220 Business Manager Robert "Ro" Wratschko
in mid-December. Two previous proposed agreements had been rejected
by the members.
International President Edwin D. Hill intervened to help get talks
restarted by talking to company officials. With that momentum,
he then sent Homes to Chicago to jumpstart negotiations.
After three years without raises, the workers were given a 3 percent
hike upon ratification, and will receive 3 percent raises every
six months until the expiration date in 2008. The contract was
backdated to the expiration of the last agreement, June 30, 2001.
Bad faith bargaining plagued the talks for months, union leaders
said. Owned by the Tribune Company, the station would only agree
to occasional bargaining with management officials who were not
authorized by the company to negotiate.
"Station management had their own agenda during this negotiation
and considered nothing of what the union was looking for," Wratschko
said. "They were very one-sided."
Management also sought to take advantage of changes in the locals
leadership to stall talks. Wratschko is the third Local 1220 business
manager to coordinate the talks.
After President Hills intervention, the company finally agreed
to an intense round of talks December 13-15.
The bargaining unit strongly objected to changes the station sought
in vacation policy and seniority rules. Wratschko said the union
was able to fend off efforts to dilute seniority rights, but the
station flatly refused to negotiate on the vacation accrual policy. "We
were the last business unit in the country that that had not converted
to the new policy," Wratschko said. "All of their bargaining
and non-bargaining units agreed to it."
Pension benefits increase in the new agreement and members also
won better wage rates.
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