The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the largest union representing CBS employees, has reached a new tentative agreement with the network that it calls a “landmark” deal with “one of the most significant wage packages in the nearly 90-year history of the relationship.”
“This tentative agreement reflects a new era of partnership and progress that recognizes the important contributions of IBEW-represented technicians while embracing the challenges and opportunities of the future,” IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper said in a statement Tuesday.
“From news and sports to streaming and operations, IBEW members are the engine behind CBS’s continued success, just like they have been since 1939. We believe this agreement not only speaks to CBS’s commitment to national and local broadcasting, it also reinforces the value of skilled union labor and reflects a shared vision for adapting to the fast-evolving media landscape,” Cooper’s statement continued.
Specific details of the deal have not been disclosed, given that members still need to vote to ratify it.
In addition to wage increases, the IBEW says the agreement establishes a framework for conversations between the union and CBS on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, particularly impacting broadcast.
Added George Cheeks, Co-CEO, Paramount Global and President & CEO of CBS: “The skilled technicians and valued employees represented by IBEW have been a bedrock of CBS’s success since the early days of television, and that continues as we chart our future together. I want to thank IBEW leaders Kenneth Cooper and Robert Prunn for setting the tone in a collaborative, forward-looking negotiation that worked through issues together and delivered value for all our stakeholders.”
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