IATSE Local 796 won the right to represent employees of Lone Star Mobile Television and Fox Sports Net Southwest, announced IATSE President Thomas C. Short.
This victory affects 197 employees and permits the IATSE to represent the workers interest in the areas of working conditions, salary, pension, health and welfare.
The IATSE had been conducting organizing drives for several months to represent individuals employed by the two companies which employ technicians for the broadcasting of live, professional and college sports events in the state. On October 3rd the 197 ballots were counted in an election conducted by the NLRB and resulted in a vote of 141 to 56 for IATSE representation.
Broadcast employees Local 796, a relatively young IATSE local, will nearly double its membership as a result of this victory. Their triumph holds a special significance since Texas is a staunch “Right To Work” state and has long opposed organized labor establishing any significant presence.
