Communications Workers of America, the union representing StoryCorps’ employees, held a rally Sunday calling for reinstatement of workers laid off in October.
The rally came on the heels of a complaint filed last month with the National Labor Relations Board over the layoffs, alleging retaliation and breach of contract.
As rallygoers circled the sidewalk in front of the StoryCorps’ office in Brooklyn, N.Y., they shook tambourines, beat drums and chanted, “What do we want? Reinstatement! When do we want it? Now!” Organizers set up a large TV screen and sound system so StoryCorps employees from across the country could Zoom in. Attendees included current and former StoryCorps employees and other CWA members.
Local politicians also showed up, including New York State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a candidate in New York City’s 2025 mayoral election. “ This is an organization about telling stories. The bosses may have started the story, but the workers are going to finish it,” Myrie said.
As the union presses for reinstatement of its members, StoryCorps CEO Sandra Clark told Current she doesn’t see that happening. “A unilateral reinstatement of these positions is not feasible,” she said in an email. “All laid-off staff are welcome to apply for any current or future positions at StoryCorps.”
Nine employees were laid off from StoryCorps in October, five of whom were union members. In the email, Clark said the layoffs were necessary because general operating support for the organization hadn’t kept pace with rising expenses.
“The layoffs were a last resort and a very difficult decision to make,” Clark added. “The union disputes this, and it is their right to exercise their grievance process.”
In an earlier attempt to avoid layoffs, StoryCorps reduced executive salaries in the third quarter of the year, imposed a hiring freeze, reduced travel expenses and paused its internship program, Clark told Current when the layoffs were announced.
Drawing on financial reporting in StoryCorps’ most recent tax filing, the union called out pay raises of more than $30,000 taken by Clark and StoryCorps founder Dave Isay in 2023. Rallygoers chanted, “What’s outrageous? Sandy’s wages.” The 2023 tax form, published by ProPublica on Oct. 24, reported that Isay’s compensation was $279,673, a 17% increase from 2022; Clark’s pay grew by 11% to $320,949.
StoryCorps’ executive compensation rates are set by the Board to align with industry standards and ensure that leadership can attract and retain talent, Clark said.
As the organization’s financial outlook changed this year, executive salaries were rolled back 10%, Clark told Current in October.
Tax statements from 2022 and 2023 show the organization moving into financial headwinds as it expanded staff from 140 to 150 employees. Expenses outpaced revenues in both years and the deficit had grown to $842,131 by the end of 2023. In addition, StoryCorps’ endowment, valued at $8 million at the end of 2021, had decreased to $5,010,355 by the end of 2023.
‘Best job in the world’
One of the StoryCorps employees who was laid off, Jey Born, spoke at Sunday’s event. “I knew from day one at StoryCorps that I had the best job in the world,” he said to the crowd of at least 80 supporters. He added, “ I never thought I’d be standing here.”
According to Tomas Laster, staff representative for StoryCorps workers at CWA, Born is one of the two employees whose layoffs are being challenged in the NLRB complaint. Born, who was a CWA shop steward and worked on StoryCorps’ production team, alleges he was laid off in retaliation for a conflict with his supervisor.
In an interview, Born said his editor told him that the team’s supervisor objected to his story on union organizer Larry Itliong. At the time, StoryCorps and the union were involved in contract negotiations, according to Born and Laster.
Born also described management’s objections to the story in a Dec. 10 post to the PublicRadioNYC listserve, where he invited New York-based radio producers to join the Dec. 15 reinstatement rally.
The story eventually aired on NPR and was later turned into an animation.
When discussing the allegations of retaliation against Born, Laster criticized management for using a performance review system that the union had never seen before to justify layoffs of production staffers. Born had built an excellent performance record at StoryCorps since he started in 2018, Laster said. “Then two weeks before the layoffs, there’s this new document produced, and, suddenly, Jey is the worst performer.”
When asked about Born’s case, Clark said in an email: “These decisions were not personal and were conducted based on a thorough and thoughtful evaluation process.”
The performance review matrix for production staff “was developed to assure a uniform evaluation of all group members … to allow a comparison that was fair in making the layoff decisions affecting the … department,” she wrote. “The only reason the union had never seen it until they asked for it is because there had not been a similar layoff in the production department before.” Clark also described Born’s account of the conflict over the Larry Itliong story as “not accurate.”
CWA also alleges that one of its members was laid off from StoryCorps in retaliation for filing an internal grievance concerning discrimination, Laster said. The grievance was resolved before the layoffs, but CWA believes the decision to let go of this staffer was influenced by the grievance.
Clark said that claims of retaliation for union activity are “absolutely false,” adding that both union and non-union employees were laid off. She also noted that the discrimination grievance had been resolved before the layoffs.
In lieu of notice
Clark also refuted another CWA allegation that StoryCorps violated the terms of its contract regarding workforce reductions.
The contract, provided by CWA, states that “in the event of layoffs … If three or more Employees are going to be laid off at the same time, the Employer will provide the Union with at least forty-five (45) days’ notice.” In the same section, it states, “Employer shall have the option of providing pay for workdays in lieu of the notice set forth above.”
Management exercised its option to pay employees instead of notifying the union in advance. “In accordance with the contract, StoryCorps paid out each union employee for these workdays, plus health benefits and severance,” Clark said.
Laster described the decision not to give notice as a breach of trust. CWA negotiated for a 45-day notice period “during which good faith discussions could happen,” he said.
Laster said that just before the layoffs, the union had wrapped up negotiations to cover temporary workers under its contract with StoryCorps.
‘I was completely surprised’
Participants at the CWA rally described how unsettling the layoffs were to former and current StoryCorps staff. Micaela Camacho-Tenreiro, a facilitator currently employed at StoryCorps, said the layoffs came as a surprise. “Since, people have been stressed, scared and disappointed,” she added.
“I was completely surprised,” said one former StoryCorps employee and union worker who was laid off, who spoke with Current at the rally. “I had a really positive relationship with my supervisor and got positive feedback all the time.” The former employee requested anonymity since she is seeking employment and fears future retaliation.
Union members still working at StoryCorps have attempted to discuss the layoffs at weekly all-staff Zoom meetings, but they have been muted and talked over, according to Camacho-Tenreiro.
The meetings are held each Friday to recognize contributions across the organization and listen to the weekly broadcast and other content, Clark said. “There are specific forums and processes in place for union-related discussions, including the regular Labor Management Committee meetings and the steward meetings with the CEO,” she said.
At the end of the reinstatement rally, Born said he was feeling hopeful. “Many people have asked me, do you really want to go back to StoryCorps after this?” he said. “To that, I say, in an instant.”