“This was a very difficult and protracted negotiation with the station, particularly over the issue of fees,’’ said Tom Higgins, executive director of the guild’s Boston chapter, whose national and local board approved the new contract Wednesday night. “People are glad that it’s over, and wanted to move forward.’’
Chris Wayland, vice president and general manager at WHDH, said, “We are happy that we have come to an agreement,’’ but declined to comment on the particulars of the contract.
On-air talent compensation is based on a combination of base salary and those on-air fees, which could account for 25 to 50 percent of an anchor or reporter’s pay. Standard TV contracts run for about three years.
Another issue of contention during the lengthy contract talks was a charge of alleged age discrimination at WHDH’s parent company, Sunbeam Television of Miami, which also owns WLVI-TV (Channel 56). Company officials had denied the charges, and said they include in-house training for all forms of discrimination.
The guild, which represents about 30 on-air personalities at WHDH, proposed adding training and creating an employee committee to deal with age discrimination in the workplace.
Former freelance reporter Mike Macklin sued WHDH for age discrimination three years ago after he was passed over for a job. The case was settled out of court in 2009, and terms of the settlement were not made public.
Last year, a Florida jury awarded $937,000 in damages to Marilyn Mitzel, a former health reporter at Sunbeam’s Miami station, after she sued the company for age discrimination. Sunbeam filed with an appeal, which is still pending.
The union and WHDH did not come to an agreement on the age discrimination issue in the final contract.
