St. Louis Public Radio Workers Vote for Union

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Employees at three public radio stations in Missouri have voted to form a union, with the Communications Workers of America serving as the bargaining representative for covered staffers.

The vote affects staff at three stations operated by St. Louis Public Radio: KWMU (90.7 FM) in St. Louis, WQUB (90.3 FM) in Quincy and KMST (88.5 FM) in Rolla.

It will be the first public radio station in Missouri to unionize, a spokesperson for the bargaining team said in a statement on Friday, who said its workers have covered important social movements and other issues in the community while facing few opportunities for advancement, a lack of transparency and high turnover at the public radio network.

“From our journalists and producers to our development and support staff, we are deeply united in our efforts to take up a seat at the bargaining table,” the group said. “In doing so, we are committing to ensuring that St. Louis Public Radio, as an organization, thrives as a place where all staff members feel valued and can see real paths to career longevity.”

More than 75 percent of workers at St. Louis Public Radio signed a statement of interest in forming a union. The statement of interest was later shared with St. Louis Public Radio’s CEO, Tina Paintuan, and KWMU’s licensee, the University of Missouri.

Brian Munoz, an organizer of the proposed bargaining unit, told the website Current.org that 42 people would be covered by the union. It would include both on-air talent and off-air editorial workers, as well as those on marketing and communications teams.

“The response from station leadership has been positive, but we have not received communication yet from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where our station is housed,” Munoz told Current.

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