The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and West (WGAW) have ratified a new, three-year, collective bargaining agreement for over 250 CBS News staffers in New York, Chicago, Washington, and Los Angeles.
The agreement covers news writers, producers, artists, desk associates and others.
According to the unions, among the top line items in the new agreement is a minimum 2% pay raise in each of the three years for full-time employees, plus a pension rate increase paid by CBS. Temporary employees will get a 3.5% increase in year one, 3% in year two and 3.25% in year three.
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Other highlights include producer-level fee increases, fees for having to fill in for an EP or senior producer in certain circumstances, parental leave and severance pay for long-term full-time temps.
Also on the severance front, the new agreement includes a boost for long-term staffers, up to 72 weeks pay for "certain layoffs."
CBS and the unions will also be talking about a process for requesting to work from home, a common ask in the the wake of COVID-19-related sequestering.
"The agreement represents 'real gains,'" said WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson. “Because our members at CBS News mobilized and made their voices heard, we won a solid contract that raises pay, includes a hefty boost in pension contributions, increases fees, and makes transformational gains for longer-term 'temporary' employees – severance pay and parental leave," he said. ■
