Democratic Majority NLRB Restores Bargaining Rights to NBC Universal "Content Producers"

It's a big victory for NABET-CWA members at NBC Universal. A decision issued this week by the National Labor Relations Board rejected management's attempt to slash the wages, benefits and bargaining rights of about 100 photographers, editors and writers by reclassifying them as "content producers."

The decision was issued by the three-member Democratic majority on the NLRB. "This shows the value of having a fully functioning, five-member NLRB. CWA and our coalition partners made that possible," said CWA President Larry Cohen.

NABET-CWA President Jim Joyce said the NLRB decision means that NBC workers and their families finally are getting justice. NBC must restore the wages, benefits and bargaining rights that these workers lost. It's a great day for fairness."

Joyce noted that CWA's work to have a fully-functioning Board confirmed by the U.S. Senate means that "the NLRB is now back to issuing important decisions and giving workers a path to justice."

Two years ago, the NLRB's Region 2 ordered NBC to restore the bargaining rights of the workers it tried to reclassify into non-union jobs.

Testimony at the Region 2 Board hearing made clear that while the job title of "content producer" was new, the work performed by these employees wasn't; employees were continuing their regular work. The decision affects NABET-CWA members who lost their bargaining rights as well as new employees hired as "content producers."

The decision cannot be appealed beyond the full NLRB.