National Public Radio and SAG-AFTRA have agreed on a new nationwide contract. The contract covering 521 NPR employees includes 2.5% pay raises each year through 2025.
“Congratulations to SAG-AFTRA members at NPR on their new contract,” said Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA President. “The power of collective action was on display for all to see with the successful ‘Wherever we are, we make NPR’ social media campaign. It demonstrates what’s possible when members stay engaged and stand together. We thank NPR for recognizing the significant contributions of our SAG-AFTRA members.”
“The productive relationship between NPR and our unions has been essential during this ongoing pandemic, and the conversations we have had with SAG-AFTRA and NABET have helped us navigate through multiple crises these past months,” said John Lansing, NPR CEO. “Since arriving at NPR, I have been thinking about ways we can expand our support for employees, not just during the pandemic, but throughout their work experience. This contract puts into print several advancements that have been on my radar for some time, including many that touch on our diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities.”
Along with the pay raises, the contract highlights include:
- Twenty weeks of fully paid parental leave — up from the previous eight weeks — and 26 weeks of job protection for leave taken for the birth, adoption, foster or other placement of a child.
- A commitment that at least 30% of external candidates interviewed for regular bargaining unit positions be from underrepresented groups that advance NPR’s diversity goals.
- Improvements to the minimum salary system that will help ensure greater pay transparency and equity.
