Thursday, January 18, 2018
Portland’s KATU-TV will face a union picket
nwLaborPress: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 600 will hold an informational picket Saturday, Jan. 27, from noon to 2 p.m. at KATU TV, 2153 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland. The union represents 24 workers at the station who have been working without a contract since October 2015.
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3 comments:
Although this news is not local to Pittsburgh, it is extremely relevant to anyone in entertainment in America. The biggest takeaway I got from this article was the new change to a formerly unlawful practice which is filming news for a city outside of the city. I understand why a news company in Portland would want to begin that practice. The rent is too high. But so is all the rent for so many others. By moving your station outside of Portland, the company would save money but would wreak havoc on lives, culture and economy within Portland. When you think about it, if they move to a small, rural town outside of Portland, they instantly: add hundred of people to the population to the small town, change the social culture of the town (adding in many artists, journalists, tv operators), and then distance the people of Portland from their own news. If the FCC allows this law to pass, it would set precedent for many other stations to consider this move as well. I'd say the picket is extremely reasonable for such a drastic change to one's livelihood.
I could write a novel about the wrongs of industry done to its workers, but I am limited to about 200 or so words. Sinclair broadcasting is one of those big box companies that seek to put the little guy out of work all in the name of cutting costs and keeping salaries low and stock profits high. I lived in Portland for 5 years. It is a beautiful city that has so much to offer anyone who lives there. It’s famous for its annual Rose Parade as well as its proximity to Seattle, Mt St. Helens, Mt. Hood and a wide variety of places to hike, ski, snowboard, camp, you name it. It is also home to Keller Auditorium, a gorgeous venue that sees Broadway shows come in and provide entertainment to the city and its residents. This article hides the reality, once you take the news station out of the city, you take it away from its residents. You also take away those local jobs and by moving the station outside of the jurisdiction of the local IATSE crew, meaning you take away their jobs and benefits. Sinclair knows exactly what it is doing. It’s not moving the station because the rent is too high, they are moving it because they want to destroy IATSE and other unions in the name of profit over workers rights. Bad form.
The industry is consistently facing backlash for things it has done to the people who are building it up, and there is every reason for the uproar. While not in Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, the North East, or even on the East Coast, this is something that effects everyone in the business, because a similar instance could easily occur right around the corner from you and seemingly go unnoticed until it is too late. IATSE choosing to picket for something that could be life changing in regards to economic income and job security is so important and relevant. Profit is the motive in so many instances like this one, instead of the livelihood of the people it employs and the community surrounding it. I think IATSE is completely fair in fighting for their voice in this circumstance, so they can hold their ground and continue creating and growing the community it is in.
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