Employees at WBUR, an NPR-affiliated radio station that is owned by Boston University, announced a plan to unionize Tuesday. More than 80 percent of the station’s staff signed a petition for union recognition.
In a memo released by the WBUR organizing committee and the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, organized staff said they sought “transparency and equity in compensation, a more diverse and inclusive workplace and protections for freelancers and temporary workers.”
WBUR employees also posted a copy of the union petition on a Twitter account made in support of the decision to unionize, WeMakeWBUR, Tuesday morning.
In the organizing committee release, Bob Oakes, the host of WBUR’s Morning Edition, said the station’s journalists and content providers produce exemplary work and deserve to have their commitment acknowledged.
“They deserve to be treated in a manner befitting the professionalism they bring to that dedication,” Oakes said in the release. “Affiliating with SAG-AFTRA will prove immeasurably helpful in helping the staff work with management to ensure that work life at WBUR is fair and equitable for all.”
Ally Jarmanning, a digital producer at WBUR, said she and other employees decided to try to unionize because they want representation for their dedication to the station.
“There’s a real desire among the staff at WBUR to have a meaningful seat at the table as changes are made at the station,” Jarmanning said. “The station is growing, it’s thriving. There are lots of things that change all the time, and we just want to be a part of these conversations.”
Jarmanning said she and the others attempting to unionize love their jobs at WBUR and want to be more involved in decisions regarding pay and structuring.
“We’re journalists, it’s not a job you get into for fame or fortune,” Jarmanning said, “and so I think all of us just really care deeply about the station, and we care about the way it works, and if we didn’t care, we wouldn’t work there, and we wouldn’t be taking this huge step forward.”
Gary Nicksa, BU’s senior vice president of operations, and WBUR General Manager Charles Kravetz co-issued a statement Tuesday with their thoughts on how they want to continue communication with the organizing committee before taking direct action.
“We share many of the workplace goals and aspirations raised in the letter given to us today by the WBUR Organizing Committee and have been actively engaged in addressing the Committee’s concerns,” the statement said. “Because of that common ground, we are asking the staff to continue this conversation with us for a period of time, and see what we can do together, before seeking to affiliate with SAG-AFTRA. We hope they agree.”
According to an article in WBUR, the organizing committee’s petition was not accepted by Kravetz or Judi Burgess, BU’s director of labor relations.
Talk of unionization arose in August 2018, according to the article, during a somewhat “turbulent” year at the station that saw the departure of “On Point” host Tom Ashbrook, who had been accused of creating an abusive work environment, and an investigation into the station’s workplace culture.
Joshua Maher, 23, a student at Berklee College of Music, said that unions help ensure that the workplace is a respectful place for employees.
“Without unions we wouldn’t have regulated mandates with how to treat workers,” Maher said. “Right now, people seem to be treated unfairly.”
Marissa Bottaro, 31, of Back Bay said she sees unions as an effective way for employees to advocate for themselves.
“Unions are good for workers, if there’s something that they want,” Bottaro said. “It’s good for things like benefits.”
Patrick Chatelain contributed to the reporting of this article.
