Pension Freeze, Other Demands Lead to Suspension of ABC Talks

NABET-CWA negotiators have suspended talks with ABC Television after a careful assessment of contract demands from the network that would do irreparable harm to workers' job security, pensions and other rights and benefits, according to union leaders.

The union and ABC management had been meeting for three weeks to bargain a new contract covering 2,500 technicians, camera operators, news writers and other employees throughout the United States. The current four-year contract expires March 31, 2007. Talks stopped March 22 when ABC announced that it wants to freeze the NABET-CWA members' pension plan.  Doing so would reduce the average participant's retirement benefit by 25 percent, negotiators said.

"The union bargaining committee's review of ABC's proposals found nothing but company attacks on the seniority system, attacks on the pension plan – despite the plan being financially healthy – attacks on jurisdiction of work and attacks on a multitude of other work rules and conditions," NABET-CWA President John Clark said. "These attacks come on top of ABC's apparent refusal to consider new training and job opportunities for workers as the industry's technology rapidly evolves."

He said the pension proposal "will pull the rug out from underneath people who are depending on it for their retirement security after a lifetime of service to ABC.  It is deplorable."     

The union has informed ABC that it will be ready to resume talks by mid-May after completing meetings around the country to discuss the situation with members.