* Robert Feder…
Striking broadcast technicians at WTTW-Channel 11 reached a tentative contract agreement with management Wednesday, likely ending the three-week work stoppage at the public television station.
Local Union 1220 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, representing more than two dozen technicians, graphic artists and floor crew members, is expected to announce results of a ratification vote Thursday. […]
Union members have been on strike since March 16 when they walked out over proposed changes in work jurisdiction and job protection. Contract negotiations had been underway since May 2021.
“It’s not great, but it is fair,” John Rizzo, business manager of Local 1220, said of the settlement. “In the end we’ve achieved a much better contract than where we began. We’re recommending that this is the best deal [our members] are going to get from the company.”
Hopefully, the station learned a valuable lesson here.
- Hannibal Lecter - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 8:53 am:
Congratulations and great job to IBEW Local 1220 for fighting on behalf of working families.
- Huh? - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 9:05 am:
Wonder how much pressure was on WTTW when the various politicians refused to cross the picket line for their debates.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 9:07 am:
Great news.
However…
“Hopefully, the station learned a valuable lesson”
I’m skeptical that will happen. I haven’t been following the intricacies of WTTW leadership that closely the past few years, but *something* has certainly changed for the worse, and it was noticeable prior these most recent events.
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 9:10 am:
Does anyone know that actual terms or perks that were being negotiated?
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 9:13 am:
Interesting no terms of the agreement were disclosed so I suppose it is also possible the union also learned a valuable lesson
- Stones - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:07 am:
The devil is always in the details when it comes to CBA’s.
- Rabid - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:13 am:
Lesson learned after a year of negotiating, strength in numbers
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:14 am:
“Interesting no terms of the agreement”
I’m always amazed that people are willing to support either side of a strike without knowing the demands.
- Pundent - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:33 am:
=I’m always amazed that people are willing to support either side of a strike without knowing the demands.=
I appreciate people that lead with their biases. It lets us know that we shouldn’t take them seriously because they operate on feelings as opposed to facts.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:35 am:
- support either side of a strike without knowing the demands. -
The information is available if you could be bothered to look. For years the station has been hiring non-union help and has been having them perform tasks that fall under the work jurisdiction of union staff.
They also have tried to shrink the geographic footprint for content requiring union personnel.
The workers didn’t accept this and the station was forced to negotiate. Those of you that cheerlead owners never seem to bother finding out what they’re actually trying to do to your fellow workers.
- Cannon649 - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:37 am:
“Interesting no terms of the agreement”
Both sides gave up more than want to admit.
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:49 am:
“Those of you that cheerlead owners never seem to bother….”
I wasn’t “cheerleading” either side. I was just wanting to know what the terms were. Any idea what the comp. level is?
We had a strike in our region in which a battle was very public (both sides) up until the actual demands were made public. It was shortly settled after that occurred because it was pretty egregious.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 10:50 am:
=== I wasn’t “cheerleading” either side. I was just wanting to know what the terms were. Any idea what the comp. level is?===
Try the Google Key, report back what you find.
- City Zen - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 11:01 am:
==Does anyone know that actual terms or perks that were being negotiated?==
One of the bigger sticking points was jurisdiction (who can do what). Guessing the network wanted to let workers outside the union take on more union tasks, similar to the old McPier deal when you needed a union electrician to plug something in.
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 11:39 am:
“Try the Google Key, report back what you find.”
I just figured the individuals on this board that were supporting one side or the other would know what the critical points were.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 11:39 am:
- similar to the old McPier deal when you needed a union electrician to plug something in. -
I know this is a favorite trope of the anti worker crowd, but if you ever actually talked to technicians who work large events or concerts you’d know there are good reasons for this. Untrained exhibitors or performers often try to plug equipment into circuits that can’t handle it and can jeopardize the entire electrical system.
But, by all means, continue using your ignorant joke.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 12:12 pm:
= into circuits that can’t handle it =
There are a lot of Clark Griswolds out there in the convention world.
Hey man, I just want to set up my display of always on space heaters and electric water heaters. Why are you being so weird about it.
…tries plugging 1430A into a 15A circuit.
- Huh? - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 12:37 pm:
- similar to the old McPier deal when you needed a union electrician to plug something in. -
This was the case nearly 60 years ago. My father had a convention display at the old McCormack Place. All he was allowed to do was unpack his table materials. Everything else was handled by union personnel.
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 3:31 pm:
“Hey man, I just want to ……..”
These same exhibitors have set up their own booths in a myriad of other locations without incident. Otherwise we’d be hearing about all the tragedies that befell those communities that were so cavalier as to let attendees set up their own booths.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 3:35 pm:
===These same exhibitors have set up their own booths in a myriad of other locations without incident.===
So?
To exhibit, you follow the rules.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 3:39 pm:
- Otherwise we’d be hearing about all the tragedies -
Yeah, convention center electrical outages are front page news. That aside, if the rules in Chicago are so burdensome, why is it one of the premier convention destinations in the country?
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 3:47 pm:
“why is it one of the premier convention destinations in the country?”
Chicago used to be #1 for conventions. It’s now #3.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 3:52 pm:
===Chicago used to be #1 for conventions. It’s now #3.===
Aren’t you of the same ilk that thinks “no one wants to come here”, yet for 5 years running Chicago was ranked first?
Your bias against Chicago continues… “3rd”
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 4:02 pm:
“Aren’t you of the same…”
By all means, let’s personalize it again.
I do business in Chicago, and multiple generations of my family live in Chicago.
The city is incredible, but leadership is lacking.
The population decline in Chicago is a symptom of something. I’d suggest that inconsistencies on the leadership approaches to crime and education are a start.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 4:04 pm:
=== By all means, let’s personalize it again.===
Your pattern to commenting is a thing. If you don’t like it pointed out, think on it.
If you like the spelunking for misery…
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 4:13 pm:
===The population decline===
“Greater Chicago lost more than 91,000 people from 2020 to 2021 as the pandemic slowed growth in the nation’s biggest cities…
…
The exodus from the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas was led by New York, which lost almost 328,000 residents. It was driven by people leaving for elsewhere, even though the metro area gained new residents from abroad and births outpaced deaths. Metropolitan Los Angeles lost almost 176,000 residents, and the San Francisco area saw a loss of more than 116,000 residents.“
That exodus?
(Sigh)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 4:15 pm:
My bad.
“Link”
shorturl.at/owF67
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 4:20 pm:
To bring this back a bit…
Organized Labor makes Illinois and Chicago better.
The idea that organized labor brings down both is a want not a reality.
This WTTW contract is a celebration of collective bargaining
- Downstate - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 5:06 pm:
A loss of 91,000 population is a problem in just one year. If we accept that as a given, just because other cities are losing more, we’ll see a loss of 1 million residents in a little over a decade.
We can attribute Chicago’s population loss to people wanting to move to a warmer climate. But Indy and Milwaukee both gained residents in the same period.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 5:09 pm:
=== A loss of 91,000 population is a problem in just one year. If we accept that as a given, just because other cities are losing more, we’ll see a loss of 1 million residents in a little over a decade.===
… and yet… despite folks like you, the spelunking for misery…
that last exodus wasn’t a “thing” either.
Nope.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 5:11 pm:
=== We can attribute Chicago’s population loss to people wanting to move to a warmer climate.===
… and yet “again”, my county, Kendall, is still one of the top 10 growing counties in America.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 7, 22 @ 5:18 pm:
Do you have a cite for that Milwaukee and Indy growth?
Thanks.
- Downstate - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 7:54 am:
OW,
Stats were from Macrotrends.net.
It actually shows an increase for Chicago, as well. But that doesn’t jibe with the stat you posted earlier, which I’d also seen.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 8:26 am:
“Link”?