iHeart, SAG-AFTRA Make Nice In Boston
As the Boston Herald reports, the two sides reached an interim agreement on Wednesday night, smoothing over many of the issues that had threatened to derail the sale. The Herald said, “iHeartMedia’s agreement with the union is a major concession from its initial threats to refuse to honor union contracts and force staffers to reapply for their jobs.” The proposed agreement, obtained by the Herald, reads, in part, “The Employer agrees to recognize the union as the exclusive bargaining representative for all full-time and regular part-time announcers, producers, editors, writers and production assistants employed by WBZ-AM. The Employer agrees to offer employment to all current union represented employees of WBZ-AM who are listed on the attached exhibit at their current salary or hourly rate of pay.”
For its part, iHeartMedia issued its own positive statement that read, “We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with SAG-AFTRA, and we’re looking forward to adding this iconic Boston station, and the talented, dedicated and respected WBZ team, to the iHeartMedia family.”