深夜福利

WFAE may become the first public radio station in the Carolinas to form a union. On Tuesday, a group of content staff members 鈥� hosts, reporters, producers and other journalists 鈥� announced their intention to unionize in tweets issued under the handle .

More than 70% of WFAE鈥檚 content staff signed on to a petition to form a union, the organizing committee said in the and accompanying . The petition does not include newsroom managers.

The committee cited wanting 鈥渁 seat at the table in making big decisions about the station鈥檚 future and in negotiating our wages, salaries and working conditions鈥� as the main drivers for forming a union.

WFAE has undergone a period of growth and content expansion in recent years. In the press release, the committee said it鈥檚 鈥渁n exciting and critical moment鈥� and that 鈥渁 long-term investment in staff will improve morale and reduce staff turnover.鈥�

WFAE weekend host and reporter Nick de la Canal said inthat amidst the outlet鈥檚 growth 鈥� including an 鈥� there has also been 鈥渟ignificant staff turnover.鈥�

WFAE President and CEO Joe O鈥機onnor declined to comment to 深夜福利 when asked about the announcement. A quotes O鈥機onnor as saying that 鈥渉e will be happy to work with SAG-AFTRA if employees decide on union representation.鈥�

Since the announcement, WFAE content staff members shared support for the union effort on Twitter using the hashtag #WeMakeWFAE.

鈥淎s public radio reporter, host & producer for 15 years. I savor so many moments - covering hurricanes, investigating housing & homelessness in #CLT, bringing a local perspective to climate news, and working with great people. Today, another big moment,鈥� wrote WFAE reporter David Boraks, whose stories are often published on .

WFAE newscaster Kenneth Lee Jr. said he is 鈥渆xcited and proud to stand with my fellow reporters/hosts/producers/content creators in asking station leaders to voluntarily recognize our union.鈥�

WFAE employees are working through SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

鈥淭he fact that more than 70% of WFAE鈥檚 content creators signed the petition to form a union in North Carolina, one of the most challenging states in the nation for union organizing, signals a sea change,鈥� said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in the press release. 鈥淭he pro-union, pro-worker movement is strong and can鈥檛 be contained by traditional thinking about where unions can and cannot succeed.鈥�

South and North Carolina have the lowest and second lowest union member rates in the country at 1.7% and 2.6% respectively, according to the from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national average for union members sits at 10.3%.

At this point in the process, National Organizing Director at SAG-AFTRA Maggie Russell-Brown says they鈥檝e 鈥渆xtended a hand to upper management at WFAE and continue to hold the door open for voluntary recognition. However, we'll use every process to secure the right to collective bargaining."

WFAE senior leadership can voluntarily recognize the union. That process allows SAG-AFTRA to represent the content staff without having to move to an election. If leadership does not recognize the union, then the . If a majority those voting choose to unionize, then the board will certify the union.

The station is in 鈥済ood company鈥� with their move to unionize, said . Over the past few years, public radio stations including , and formed unions. In 2021, NPR 鈥� which is a union outlet 鈥� signed a . These stations, and possibly soon WFAE, are members of SAG-AFTRA.

Pay inequity and a desire for a stronger role in shaping the future of organizations are common reasons for union pushes by public media outlets. At WAMU in Washington, D.C., staff also highlighted 鈥渄eeply ingrained internal racism, high turnover among women of color鈥� and a lack of protections for temporary employees in their union petition.

The public media鈥檚 uptick in labor organizing is playing out in a new, more union-friendly environment. A recent released in August shows that overall, Americans鈥� approval of labor unions is at the highest point since 1965.

David Zonderman, a professor of history at NC State specializing in American labor history, says there are a couple of theories behind the media union wave that 鈥渕ake sense鈥� to him.

鈥淎 lot of traditional news organizations have had massive cuts and layoffs. And so a lot of content and newsroom employees have organized to protect their jobs,鈥� said Zonderman.

Pro-union sentiment among younger workers may be a big contributor, said Zonderman.

鈥淚n a lot of the so-called 鈥榥ew media鈥�, you often have younger reporters, younger bloggers, people like that. And just recently, we have data showing that the public perception of unions is more positive than it's been in about 50 years, and particularly among younger workers.鈥�

But Zonderman also says some workplaces have responded to those union efforts with hostility. And the battles can be drawn out. At WAMU it took for the 55 staff union members to secure their first contract.

鈥淪ome, what I would call progressive, nonprofits have become very hostile to their own staff organizing,鈥� said Zonderman.

Forming a union is a challenging endeavor in North Carolina, says Zonderman.

North Carolina is a right-to-work state, which means if an employee goes to work somewhere that鈥檚 under a union contract, that worker is entitled to the benefits of the contract 鈥� like receiving union representation 鈥� but they do not have to pay union dues. A extended that principle to the public sector as well.

鈥淪o now public sector workers who go to a public sector workplace that has a union contract can become what unions call 鈥榝ree riders,鈥欌�� said Zonderman. 鈥淚t's designed so that unions look and say, 鈥榃ell, gee, do we really want to organize in this state? We're gonna have to bust their butt to organize people and get them a contract, and then they don't even have to pay union dues.鈥� So yeah, North Carolina has always been a hard state to organize in.鈥�

Zonderman says there have been 鈥渟ome victories鈥� including that nurses at Mission Health in Asheville, who , are now celebrating $22 million in wage hikes that went into effect Sept. 11.

Public sector employees in North Carolina are in a unique situation when it comes to unions.

鈥淎mong public workers, it's illegal to get a collectively bargained contract. But it's not illegal to join a union,鈥� says Zonderman. 鈥淚t makes it harder to organize, no doubt about it.鈥�

深夜福利, a partner station with WFAE that participates in broadcast and digital news content-sharing agreements, is a university-affiliated non-profit within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This makes 深夜福利鈥檚 permanent employees also state employees. The station's news department is editorially independent from the university.

深夜福利鈥檚 new President and General Manager Paul Hunton 鈥� who formally stepped into the role on October 3 鈥� confirmed that 鈥渁ll personnel actions go through the university.鈥� Hunton said he was unaware of 深夜福利 staffers ever taking steps toward union formation.