(NEW YORK CITY) - Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) Members employed at WNET THIRTEEN have unanimously ratified a new two-year Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The 10-Member WNET Bargaining Unit, which consists of Promotional Writers for the Tri-State area PBS Station THIRTEEN, secured job protections that will allow them to continue doing their vital promo, fundraising and pledge drive work for the station.

Deal highlights include a pay raise in 2024 to match Non-Union Employees and a 3% raise for Staff, as well as a bonus for per diems in 2025.

The Bargaining Unit also secured language confirming Guild Members may be assigned digital and creative work.

Members at WNET THIRTEEN fought to protect their Union via actions such as public escalations and a letter delivered to WNET’s Board of Trustees and Community Advisory Board.

The Unit successfully convinced management to drop its proposal to have the ability to assign an essentially unlimited amount of Bargaining Unit work to Non-Union Employees, and its proposal to have the power to replace three-quarters of Staff Employees with per diems.

In a statement, the WNET Union said: “We faced challenging negotiations this year with WNET and it took the solidarity of not only our Union Colleagues at WNET, but the larger WGAE Community to pressure management to drop their proposals.  We are proud of what we have achieved!  WNET Members will see improved compensation during the term of this contract and continue to be part of the Writers Guild.”

WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen said: “We’re so proud that our Members at WNET held strong for the contract they needed.  Their dedication persuaded management to drop proposals threatening the Unit’s existence and secured the raises they deserve.”

In its Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News Sector, WGAE Members work at 1010 WINS, ABC News, Audacy (WCBS-AM, WBBM-AM, and KNX-AM), CBS News, CBS News 24/7, Fox 5 WNYW-TV, MSNBC, NBC Promo Writers, Thirteen Productions (Thirteen/WNET), and WBBM/CBS 2 News.

WGAE represents more than 7,500 Members working in film, television, news podcasts and on-line media and also negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its Members, conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to Writers and presents Writers’ views to various bodies of government.

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