Cascade PBS Union secures pay raises in ratified contract with management

The union representing journalists at Cascade PBS in Seattle has unanimously voted to ratify its second contract with management.

Employees voted May 6 after reaching a tentative agreement April 29, according to the union. The new four-year contract will lead to an average pay raise of 6.76% for unit members. Over the term of the contract, employees’ average wages are projected to increase 18.3%.

The union represents 23 employees and is under the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild. The latest negotiations began in July 2024, with the union authorizing a strike pledge in February after tensions with management escalated. The union later ramped up organizing activities to draw attention to the stalemate.

The goal was always to increase pay and keep it in line with the rising cost of living in Seattle, said Josh Cohen, a city reporter and member of the bargaining committee.

“Part of the reason we fought so hard for this contract is we want to have wages that are sustainable, that allow people to stay and grow at Cascade PBS and do the work they care about and love,” Cohen said.

Before the new contract, the lowest-paid unit members made less than $64,000. Currently, no one in the unit will make less than $70,000 a year. Going forward, the minimum salary for new hires will be $67,000. The union also secured additional paid time off, doubled the severance package and received stronger work protections.

The previous contract with management was approved in December 2021 and expired in September 2024. The union called attention to disparities between executive pay and worker salaries during negotiations for both contracts.

In an April 25 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the union pointed out that Cascade CEO Rob Dunlap got a 9.5% pay raise in 2024, including a bonus of more than $100,000. In contrast, the union said its members had not had raises since October 2023, when they got a 1.5% boost. Management had offered annual raises of no more than 2.25% before the ratified contract, according to the union.

In a statement, Cascade PBS spokesperson Don Wilcox said the new deal “represents the shared commitment of both Guild members and management. The new contract provides wage enhancements and reflects a collaboration on workplace policies and practices.”

The union alleged that tension over the negotiations also affected internal communications. The guild filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board March 30 alleging that management attempted to prevent the union from distributing information about its contract in a non-work space, an activity protected under the National Labor Relations Act.

The complaint was based on an exchange in a non-work Slack channel after nonunionized employees asked members of the bargaining unit about the status of contract negotiations. The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild has since withdrawn the complaint.