A group of 10 employees at iHeartMedia Philadelphia’s Power 99 (WUSL) has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to be represented by the Philadelphia local of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
The employees, including on-air hosts, disc jockeys, and producers, are seeking to organize a union to have a voice in the workplace. SAG-AFTRA’s Philadelphia executive director, Steve Leshinski, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “We don’t comment on ongoing organizing, but obviously we are very excited about broadcasters having a voice in the workplace and looking forward to welcoming them to the SAG-AFTRA family.”
SAG-AFTRA already represents certain radio workers at other stations in the Philadelphia region, including Q102 (WIOQ), Total Traffic & Weather Network, 93.3 WMMR, 92.5 XTU, SportsRadio 94WIP, KYW NewsRadio, and WHYY. The union represents a wide range of professionals in the entertainment industry, including actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, and disc jockeys, with a membership of over 160,000 nationwide.
The filing of the petition does not immediately establish a union with a contract. iHeartMedia will have an opportunity to respond to the petition through the NLRB. If the NLRB approves an election, a majority vote in favor of union representation by the members would be required to proceed with the unionization process. If successful, collective bargaining would take place, although it often takes newly formed unions a year or more to reach their first contract.
