On Tuesday, numerous CBS News 24/7 employees are expected to stage a walkout due to a contentious salary disagreement with their new leader, Bari Weiss.
The staff involved in the network’s streaming service have been engaged in discussions with Weiss since February, but the situation has taken a dramatic turn for the worse recently.
According to The Wrap, the 60-member team issued a strike pledge to the management last week after the expiration of a three-year contract, which left both parties without an agreement.
Negotiations, backed by the Writers Guild of America, have stalled over issues such as pay increases, structured work hours, and severance packages, as Weiss aims to ‘reimagine’ the streaming platform.
This marks Weiss’s first union negotiation experience, as The Free Press, the publication she co-founded and still oversees, operates without unionization.
This situation is another challenge for Weiss during her tumultuous period at CBS, which has already been marked by the departure of key staff and criticism of its reporting.
‘Members are fighting to protect their livelihoods during a period of uncertainty in broadcast news,’ Writers Guild of America Representative Tina Timmerberg told 48 Hills.
‘Layoffs, editorial interference and political pressure have all become existential threats following the Paramount Skydance merger and those same concerns have escalated with a possible merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery.
Dozens of CBS News 24/7 staffers are set to walk out on Tuesday after failing to reach an agreement with their new boss, Bari Weiss (pictured)
The Writers Guild of America-backed union, representing the 60-person unit that oversees the network’s streaming service, delivered a strike pledge to management last week. Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA members are seen protesting in 2023
‘The bargaining unit is demanding fair pay, respect and a sustainable work-life balance.’
Strikes are now expected outside both the CBS Broadcast Center in Midtown Manhattan and at the KPIX-TV CBS News Bay Area office in San Francisco.
The walk-off comes as producers for the streaming service say morale has cratered.
Jordan Lilly and Tiffany Hudson, CBS News 24/7 producers and members of the bargaining committee, told The Wrap that staffers have long done overtime work without any additional pay.
But in recent months they said managers have demanded that some employees work weekend shifts that could run up to 12 hours, even though there is no weekend-specific live-programming.
Those on-call shifts now come with the mentality of ‘get on board or get out,’ Lilly claimed.
‘We generally get treated like we are lucky to be here even though we are the ones that make everything show up on your screen,’ he said.
The producers also claimed that the network proposed annual raises that were smaller than those provided in the last two contracts – a 1.75 percent increase which they argue is not in line with inflation, according to 48 Hills.
Jordan Lilly and Tiffany Hudson, CBS News 24/7 producers and members of the bargaining committee, expressed their frustrations with trying to reach an agreement on issues such as raises, defined schedules and severance
Strikes are now expected outside CBS News’ Midtown Manhattan office (pictured) and at the KPIX-TV CBS News Bay Area office in San Francisco
Part of the frustration also boils down to a disconnect between the CBS News 24/7 staffers and management, with Hudson saying that even though Weiss has touted her plans to make the streaming service ‘a lab for new formats and shows’ at a January town hall meeting, her interactions with staffers have been limited to just a few coffee meetings.
A person familiar with the matter however said Weiss has been meeting with employees across the network – including those at CBS News 24/7.
‘Our members have been hearing things essentially through trade publications, in the rumor mill, about changes to our workplace,’ Hudson said.
‘With this contract, we want to make sure that the protections that we’re fighting for are in it, so no matter what happens, we at least have comfort in knowing that we have strong protections around severance, strong protections on overtime, things like that.’
Severance, especially, has become a major sticking point for the staff members amid massive layoffs from Paramount Skydance, which has sought to cut costs after purchasing CBS from its former controlling shareholders, the Redstone family.
Some now fear even more layoffs may be coming after Paramount signed a $110 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
‘With the prospect of layoffs, with or without that merger sort of perpetually on the horizon, the best way to insulate our colleagues from damage is to just make sure that they have an equitable exit package should they lose their job,’ Lilly said.
He explained that the union is fighting to maintain its last contract’s minimum of eight weeks of severance, along with two weeks for every year worked.
Ununionized employees at CBS ‘Evening News,’ which is now anchored by Tony Dokoupil (pictured), have previously been offered lucrative buyouts
The strike comes just months after non-unionized employees at CBS ‘Evening News’ offered staffers ‘lucrative buyouts’ if they were did not agree with Weiss’ vision for the future of the program.
The network has also lost some of its top talent, with Justice Department Correspondent Scott MacFarlane announcing last week that he was resigning from his position.
He joined anchors like John Dickerson, Maurice DuBois, and CBS Mornings boss Shawna Thomas in leaving.
‘This is my decision, and I appreciate the bosses at CBS for understanding it,’ he wrote, in part, following an appearance on CBS Mornings.
‘I will always value the opportunity I had to work alongside the talented and committed professionals here,’ the legal expert added.
‘I’m proud to have had the words “CBS correspondent” next to my name – always will be.’
MacFarlane – who has been with CBS News since 2021 – said the next phase of his career will center around ‘independence and finding new spaces to share my work in line with my personal goals.’
‘The work will not stop, and I’ll always be a call away,’ he added.
Justice Department Correspondent Scott MacFarlane announced last week that he is leaving CBS News after a half decade
Despite the massive shakeups, Weiss apparently wants to continue with the strategy she implemented at ‘Evening News,’ where Tony Dokoupil has taken over as anchor.
She argued at an employee townhall in January that the network has been far too focused on maintaining its current audience rather than expanding its reach to new viewers.
‘We’re for the center. We’re for the center-right, and we’re for the center-left,’ she reportedly said during her presentation at the meeting.
‘The honest truth is right now we are not producing a product that enough people want,’ she said.
‘I am here to make CBS News fit for purpose in the 21st century.’
Weiss then took a no-nonsense approach when addressing those who are not fans of her efforts.
‘If that’s not your bag, that’s okay,’ she said, per The Independent.
‘It’s a free country, and I completely respect if you decide I’m not the right leader for you or this isn’t the right place at the right time, there’s just too many exciting things to be spending your career doing.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to CBS News for comment.
