NABET Lockout Over

To Live and Work in L.A.

by Gary Stigall, CSTE
Chairman
February 1, 1999

NABET-CWA Local 57 workers at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, along with local members at other Disney/ABC O&O's, held a one-day surprise strike November 1, 1998 protesting ABC refusal to share details of its health plan. The next day the union was locked out from working, and kept that way for over two months until both sides reached a back-to-work agreement January 15. Members are voting on a new agreement and ballots will be counted Friday, February 5.

Peggy Bopp, a KABC-TV maintenance engineer at the time of the lockout, talks about the whole sordid affair. She's a veteran of the Disney Channel; Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.; and KFMB-TV.

Q: What happened to you and your colleagues the day of the strike, then the lockout?

A: I had heard nothing until arriving at work on Monday, November 1, to work at 3:45 a.m. The union steward came from out of the bushes to tell me he wanted to talk to me. He informed me of the 24-hour stike to begin at 4 a.m. and asked that I join them. Only a 24-hour thing he said. "We will all be back to work tomorrow." I just told him I had to pee, and went inside. There I saw the chief and I let him know I was there to stay.

Two other NABET people and I spent the morning with managers who had trained to do operations. You know they did such a good job, the program director was called at home a 7:30 a.m. to tell her of the situation and she had spent the last 1-1/2 hours watching the broadcast and had no idea!!! That's not what the Nabes would tell you, but I was there through it all.

At 11:30, Arnie [KABC-TV General Manager Arnold Kleiner] came to me and gave me a personal thanks for staying and helping, but because of the Disney management decision on the lockout, I would not be allowed to stay. They escorted me off the premises when I desired and that was the last day I was there. By the time I left there were quite a few members out at the gates picketing unaware they would not be returning in 24 hrs. Most of them found out about the situation upon arriving at work that morning. Sucks, huh?

Q: GM Arnie Kleiner, when asked about how operations and maintenance were proceeding after the lockout said, "About the same as before," implying something about the quality of work there, and about his own respect for the department. Are workers overstaffed, lazy, undertrained?

A: Arnie had a right to gripe over the engineering staff there. There was no respect for the maintenance department. Another reason why I hate to return. I was always told, "You can't leave." "You are the solotion to the problems." "Hang in there." Yes, it is the sorriest staff I have ever seen. Lazy, unproductive, not trusted to do an assignment. Yet management just tolerates it, hoping additonal staff management will be able to help that situation.

Q: Do you think unions are needed at Disney or in modern broadcasting in general?

A: What is needed is more teamwork. The union enviornment has seemed to adopt a "them against us" attitude instead of "we are all here to do a job and that is to put on the best broadcast we can with all doing their part." Disney synergy attracts that kind of attitude, and I can see why it is having problems, [in turn] welcoming these union farces. The union leaders seem to feel that since they are dealing with Disney, the monies should be trickled down to them. They complain of the expense that some disney exec spent to refurbish his office, and "why can't we get the same benefits?" Tell me what the two have in commom. Corporate America is all the same unless you are at a Harley-Davidson plant where everybody shares in the profits. Disney does offer stock options, just not profit sharing. I can't understand what they want.

Q: Are you going back to KABC-TV?

A: I am almost forced to return because I haven't been able to replace that weekly paycheck on a consistent basis. The basketball strike and a few other things have impacted the freelance market up here also, and I hate the way those guys pay. Invoicing and past 60 days and still not checks. Makes it hard for somebody like me who was not prepared for what the union did. If I did not have to go back and work under the NABET contract, I wouldn't. But they took the staff position I vacated--Management--and turned my slot into a managers position so that they could hire a couple of scabs that they found. I have no resentment for this--I did leave after all. I have heard from the outside world that these are two pretty good guys.

Everyone has returned to the lot with an agreement to return to work. [The union was asked to give a reasonable] warning if it pulls this again. It took NABET leaders three months to agree to that, and no contract is yet signed. We all could have been back to work on election day had they used their heads a little!

I am not the only Nabe that feels as I do. I had an interview this morning at KROQ radio. The chief tells me he's had three of us through his office recently saying the same thing. Unions need to change their perspective if they are going to survive in this world. There is room for all of us, but we must learn to be part of the cog in the wheel, not going anywhere if one piece is missing or broken.

Previous Story |  Back to Top |  Home Page |  Next Story
Archives |  Contacts |  Jobs |  Calendar |  Subscriptions 
Members |  Links |  Sponsors |  EAS |  Search |  Home 

Web site contents ©1999 Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 36 San Diego. For more information, to become a member or a sponsor, or to make suggestions or comments, e-mail sbe36@broadcast.net. Write to P.O. Box 710702, San Diego, California 92171-0702.  

Edited by Gary Stigall. Updated 01-Feb-99.