Tom Higgins

Tom Higgins, Assistant Executive Director/Broadcast Director

"AFTRA members thank Governor Rell, the state legislature, and Attorney General Blumenthal for enacting this law that prohibits fundamentally unfair provisions in contracts for Connecticut broadcasters," said Tom Higgins, AFTRA Local Broadcast Director.

Tom Higgins 617.262.8001

Tom Higgins, president of the Boston chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said, "AFTRA identified stalking and criminal harassment as a serious problem affecting our members.

According to American Federation of Television and Radio Artists New England Director Tom Higgins, the protest was being characterized by some in management as an attempt to sabotage the newscasts.

"This is nobody's first choice, to do something like this," said Tom Higgins, New England broadcast director for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which represents the 25-person on-air staff at Channel 3.Higgins said the union had told management it wanted to keep the dispute "in the family," but said the station has refused to return to the bargaining table.

The news employees have been without a signed contract for a year, and are working involuntarily under the terms of a contract offer the station made in June.That contract was unanimously rejected, Higgins said, but was later imposed under labor-law provisions that allow an employer to unilaterally set work rules after a contract expires and there is an impasse in negotiations.

Higgins said the publicity campaign made for a tense morning at the station.He said executives accused some union members of "sabotage" and told others their outfits violated the station's clothing guidelines, which advise against wearing dark suits with dark shirts and dark ties.Higgins said he spent part of Thursday morning fielding calls from employees who were told they were out of compliance.Some switched ties or made other changes, Higgins said.
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Higgins said AFTRA previously negotiated two contracts with the company "without any great fanfare," but said Meredith proposed sweeping changes during the current negotiations.

Higgins said that under the station's proposal, reporters and anchors can be terminated for what management considers unsatisfactory job performance, and will be denied severance pay unless they agree not to bring discrimination complaints against the company.

He said that even terminated employees can be prevented from working at other stations in the market for as long as a year, and said the contract also gives the station the right to replace reporters with subcontractors.
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Meredith offered what it termed a final offer last June, which Higgins said was rejected unanimously.After a session with a federal mediator, a new contract offer was submitted to members during the summer, and was overwhelmingly rejected, he said.
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Higgins said the union's campaign to jump-start contract negotiations would continue, but he said members haven't decided on their next move.

"Our goal is to get the company back to the table," he said.

According to Tom Higgins, Broadcast Director, New England AFTRA Local [based in Boston], there are several critical issues at stake.

``We have requested the intervention of a federal mediator to try and move the negotiations forward because of the growing frustration of the union membership,'' said Tom Higgins, broadcast director of AFTRA's Boston office.

Two contracts have been in discussion since the beginning of the year: a contract for WBZ-AM writers, editors and producers, who recently voted to unionize; and a successor contract for on-air talent at both stations to replace the previous contract that expired last spring.Three formal negotiation sessions have been held with each group.

WBZ management would not comment about ongoing negotiations.

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