NEW: WCVB Responds to Lynch’s Allegations of Contract Dispute

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Friday, March 08, 2013

GoLocalWorcester Politics Team

In a letter to all WCVB-TV employees, the station's President and General Manager, Bill Fine, responded to U.S. Rep. and current candidate for U.S. Senate Stephen Lynch's announcement on Friday that he would not run any of his campaign advertising on WCVB due to an alleged contract dispute between the station and the IBEW.

"To put it simply, there is no 'contract dispute' with the IBEW," Fine wrote. "We have been engaged in good faith negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with the IBEW since August 2011. While the negotiation has gone through several phases, including the IBEW’s 'no' vote on a new agreement over a year ago, our bargaining teams have been meeting regularly over the past few months with the mutually stated goal of reaching a new agreement as soon as possible."

Fine said that after a number of tentative agreements were reached on Monday, the station's negotiating team asked the union to agree to have a federal mediator attend the next bargaining session between the two parties, but the IBEW refused.

"We have asked the IBEW to reconsider their decision, and have also been in contact with the Federal Mediator assigned to our negotiation. With or without the Federal Mediator’s involvement, we are confident that we will reach a deal with the IBEW, as we always have in our decades-long relationship with the IBEW, and as we have with our AFTRA and DGA bargaining units," Fine wrote.

"Given the facts above, we hope that Congressman Lynch will reconsider his decision and allow the parties to continue their progress towards a new agreement free from outside influence. We also urge the Congressman to buy advertising based on the merits of each station’s audience delivery rather than the current inconsistent litmus test which the Congressman appears to be applying regarding the status of collective bargaining units at each Boston television station."

See the full text of the letter below.

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