CBS Bay Area Newsroom Workers Walk Out Over Stalled Contract Talks

Picket lines went up outside KPIX-TV on Tuesday morning as roughly 10 CBS News Bay Area employees joined colleagues at the CBS News Broadcast Center in Manhattan for a 24-hour bicoastal walkout, part of a coordinated action by the approximately 60-person CBS News 24/7 unit represented by the Writers Guild of America East.

The walkout, which kicked off at 6 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday and was scheduled to run through 6 a.m. Wednesday, came after the unit's three-year contract expired March 9 without a replacement deal. The following day, workers delivered a strike pledge to management with 95% of the unit signing on. An additional 2,900 union members and supporters signed letters urging CBS management to reach an agreement.

"CBS News 24/7 journalists are walking off the job on both coasts today because management refuses to agree to a new contract with essential work protections and fair wages," the WGAE bargaining committee and contract action team said in a statement. The union further alleged that management's current proposals are worse than the terms of the previous contract.

Beth Godvik, WGAE vice-president of broadcast/cable/streaming news, pointed directly at the company's corporate spending. "Paramount has billions to spend acquiring Warner Bros Discovery, but still hasn't guaranteed fair wages and basic job protections for the workers who make their streaming news operation run," she said. "Our members are walking out today to show management they stand united in their demand for a fair contract — and the WGAE is with them every step of the way."

Negotiations began in February, with the key sticking points reported to be pay increases, defined schedules, and severance packages. A CBS News spokesperson said in an email that the company would "continue to negotiate in good faith and hope to reach a fair resolution quickly."

The corporate backdrop looms large. US regulators approved billionaire David Ellison's Skydance Media $8.4 billion takeover of Paramount last year, and Skydance is now reported to be finalizing a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, the owner of CNN. The union's bargaining committee put it bluntly: "We eagerly await an acceptable contract offer from Paramount — which just shelled out tens of billions of dollars to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery."

The walkout was limited to the CBS News 24/7 streaming division and was not expected to affect flagship CBS programs including CBS Mornings, CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, Face the Nation, and 48 Hours. No source specified what steps the unit planned to take beyond the 24-hour action if contract talks remained stalled.