FOX Management has dug in over in Oakland at KTVU engineers and editors.August 11th and 12th are the next day's schedules for contract negations between IBEW and Fox. It's been GM Gregg Kelly's marching orders from Fox to continue dragging feet and claim that it is the union who is not negotiating in good faith.
Fox has suggested the ops./engineers de-certify from the union of course.
The last round of negotiations had the union sit in a room for 5 hours while the Fox lawyers made a fifteen-minute appearance and then disappear. This has happened on three different occasions.
They're looking for a fight.
More fun from the Fox doofus society.
What would you expect from a network that promotes some Ryan Seacrest Horseshit that gets cancelled after 2 episodes? Fox can leave their rebuttal at the bottom of the toilet bowl for all I care!
ReplyDeleteHaving been directly involved in a couple of strained TV union negotiations, this is a very difficult time for union bargaining teams to reach any sort of agreement. I have been in talks lasting nearly three years that ended with the bargaining unit getting its base salary scale from all those years earlier. Since then the station has eliminated just about all the positions and gone automated. And all management has to do is continue to talk. That's it, no promise to reach any sort of agreement, as long as they talk.
ReplyDeleteBut I suspect these talks will be very brief, if the bargaining unit reps bring the exact same goals to the table. All Kelly and his lawyer have to do is say they already talked about it, rejected it, ask for a new proposal, and leave. I've been in similar such talks that have lasted less then one minute each time over more than a year. I always left with a smile and a promise to look at any "new" proposals they would bring, without any promise that I'd agree to them. The NLRB simply looks at whether both sides are talking, regardless of what they bring to the table.
The speed and the way the industry has changed from film to ENG to digital will make a number of traditional engineering jobs obsolete. All Gregg and Fox need to do is make the entire Engineering staff redundant, set up a new "Tech Help Center" off-site and there isn't much the union can do.
The Fox O&O directive for the next two years is make as much money as each station can, and expand news for premium rates (and political spots) as much as possible without increasing permanent staff. It's already happening at WAGA Atlanta where their 11pm news is going to one-hour to immediately open the higher premium revenue stream.
BA is not far behind. And KTVU will not be the only local station looking to optimize its revenue strength.
The problem is that the members of the unit have it way to cushey ans FOX know it. A vote for any labor action or strike would fail also.
ReplyDeleteThe only real solution is to de-certify and pray for forgiveness. Nobody has the balls to fight, because the union knows they are fucked no matter what.