(BUFFALO) - Fueled by concerns over an owner the Union says wants to increase its profit margin from 35 cents to 50 cents on every dollar, a NABET-CWA (National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians-Communications Workers of America) Local 25 official is going public with worries the #1-ranked television news program at WIVB-TV/Channel 4 in Buffalo could go the same route that TV News has gone in Syracuse - with two competing stations now offering what essentially amounts to a daily simulcast of the same news package with different anchor teams that, in the end, "limits the number of voices" in the community.

During an interview with WNYLaborToday.com, NABET Local 25 Ronald Gabalski - who serves as chief steward at LIN-Television-owned WIVB-TV/Channel 4 - also detailed several other areas of concern as his Union gets ready to head back to the table to bargain a new contract with management on March 16th and 17th.  They include the company no longer participating and matching contributions to its Union employees' 401(k) retirement plan, as well as imposing new contract language that would allow LIN-TV to restructure job descriptions, which would allow the company to have any employee perform any job it wishes.

"I know I sound like the 'boogeyman,' but the language wouldn't limit the scope of the job description," said Gabalski - who is employed as a news videographer at Channel 4 - of LIN-TV's initial contract proposal, which NABET Local 25 representatives are currently reviewing.  "For example, they could hire a janitor, who would perform mostly janitorial duties.  But management could say, 'He could shoot news if we need him to' if the contract calls for it.  And they could also say they have a photographer who now cleans toilets."

NABET Local 25 represents 65 members at WIVB-TV, where its current five-year contract expires March 26th.  Overall, NABET Local 25 represents around 200 members in Buffalo.  They are also employed at WKBW-TV/Channel 7 - where the Union is involved in a Labor dispute with the Granite Broadcasting Corp. management - and in a local free-lance unit.

Even though Channel 4's News Programming has consistently been ranked as the overall #1 offering in Buffalo, according to Arbitron ratings - and as LIN-TV continues to pull in additional advertising revenue due to the fact Channel 4 and its sister station, CW23 (which is also owned by LIN-TV), also ranks as the company's #1 producer of locally-produced content, which allows LIN-TV to rake in 100% of its advertising content - it is Local 25's understanding  the company is looking to further increase its profit margin here in Buffalo.

"In TV news the standard margin is around thirty-five percent," Gabalski told WNYLaborToday.com. "They want it at fifty cents on the dollar.  What we're hearing is that LIN is upset over Buffalo and believes (running the station) should only be half the (overall) cost."  

In regards to the 401(k) issue, Gabalski say WIVB-TV is presently the only LIN-owned station in its chain of TV stations where it had contributed to its employees' retirement plan. 

"We've had it in our contract and now they want to punish us for having it.  In their (initial) proposal, they want to stop the match and base for the entire length of the (new) contract.  It looks like they want to stick it to us where now (after having had it), they want to kill us on the life of the (new) contract."

In addition to its current negotiations with NABET Local 25, LIN-TV also has Labor problems with the Union representing its on-air talent.  According to NABET Local 25, LIN-TV has imposed a contract on its AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO) represented employees.  However, local AFTRA President and Channel 4 Weekend Anchor Mylous Hairston has not responded to several inquiries made by WNYLaborToday.com over recent months regarding the Union's negotiations with management and the imposed contract AFTRA members are currently working under.  But Hairston did post an update on facebook back in December stating AFTRA Members had overwhelmingly rejected LIN's "last, best and final offer."  Reportedly, LIN wants its Union employees to "pay costly out-of-network co-pays or change doctors" in the company's proposed changes to their Health Plan coverage.

On another front, NABET Local 25 also has problems with Granite Broadcasting-owned WKBW-TV/Channel 7, which has also imposed a contract on its Unionized employees after gaining an impasse at the negotiating table. 

NABET Local 25 President Roy Schrodt minced no words when speaking with WNYLaborToday.com in December, saying it was done "to impose a number of work-change rules that a Union contract would not allow." 

"If an impasse at the negotiating table occurs, the company can impose any work changes it wants, including beginning to train reporters to shoot their own video and photographers to report the news," Schrodt said.   

WIVB-TV Union Steward Gabalski, meanwhile, took that scenario a step further, pointing to what has already happened in Syracuse with a Granite-owned station.

"Granite contracted with a (competing) non-Union station and began what amounts to a simulcast or airing of one news program under two banners.  Each station kept its own anchor teams, but is broadcasting what basically amounts to the same news package.  (In the end), It effectively limits the number of voices in that community," he said.

While no one is saying - as yet - that will happen here in Buffalo, it is a possibility based on the current lay of the land in local television news, concerned Union officials say.

"Are they looking to do the same thing?  We're already seeing it with so-called multi-media/backpack journalists," said Gabalski - pointing to the emerging industry trend where reporters serve as their own videographer and vice versa.  "The biggest group of employees here at the station that are in jeopardy are the photographers.  While we've always been flexible, even non-Union stations know something's wrong when you have a live truck in a bad neighborhood with only one person doing both jobs."

During past contract negotiations, NABET Local 25 had embarked on a public campaign to make the television news-viewing public aware of what was going on behind-the-scenes at Channel 4.  That campaign had included the use of public advertising, member picketing and a Labor-endorsed boycott of the station.

NABET Local 25's WIVB-TV membership is currently "standing strong and is ready to fight" this time around - if need be, Gabalski said.  

"We'll give them our counter-proposal and see what they tell us.  It's not that we don't understand (the current industry issues facing the company).  We understand they have issues with overtime and some other areas.  But I don't have that sense we will be going through (a public campaign) again this time.  They might push us towards impasse.  They've hired an attorney who was in-house counsel for Gannett (Company, Inc.) who had his fingers all over the Detroit Free-Press (daily newspaper, which endured a very lengthy and highly-publicized Labor dispute with its Newspaper Guild-represented members) mess," he said.

What NABET Local 25 representatives are hopeful of is that management will remember that WIVB-TV has traditionally been the news leader in the Buffalo market in recent years - which Union officials believe does mean something. 

And all LIN-TV has to do is look down the street to see how WKBW-TV/Channel 7 General Manager Bill Ransom has "dismantled" what was once Buffalo's #1 news leader over the past several years, Gabalski said.  With that said, an interesting player in the contract negotiations at WIVB-TV might be its general manager, Chris Musial, Gabalski said.

"Bill Ransom has dismantled Channel 7 and burned it down.  It was great, but he ruined it.  Chris Musial rose to GM here and took it to being number one.  Regardless of what people say, it is the 'House that Musial Built."  As management, is Musial now willing to do the same and burn down his own house or will he take more pride in his achievements?  That's the question," Gabalski said.

NABET-CWA/Your Union has been the theme of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians almost from its inception in 1934.  Over the years, NABET has fought for and won benefits and wages for its represented members, including a Union Shop, 8-hour work days, vacations, holidays, sick leave, insurance, overtime pay, pension plans, seniority, grievance and arbitration, safety and health.

Historically, NABET began representing broadcasting employees in television, radio, film and production at what was then called the Red and Blue networks, now ABC and NBC.  At that time, NABET's (known then as the ATE/The Association of Technical Employees) first contract provided $175 per month and 48-hour work week.  In 1937, NABET expanded, covering independent radio and television stations and in 1939 achieved a Union Shop clause.  In 1940 came the name change from ATE to NABET, and in 1941 its bargained and first 8-hour work day as NABET grew to 23 independent contracts.  In 1951, NABET affiliated with the CIO, followed in 1952 by Canadians joining NABET.  By 1960, NABET's independent contracts grew to 100.  In 1965 came the first film local.  In 1968, the Canadians achieved local autonomy followed in 1974 by full autonomy.  In 1993, NABET affiliated with the Communications Workers of America.  That was followed in 1994 with a full merger, which resulted in the new name NABET-CWA.