CLEVELAND, OH – Sports broadcast technicians responsible for the live televised coverage of the (NBA) Cleveland Cavaliers and (MLB) Cleveland Guardians airing on Bally Sports Ohio & Great Lakes have voted in favor of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) representation.
Region 08 of the National Labor Relations Board counted the ballots on July 6th and made the results official, 73-31 in favor of union representation with their employer Program Productions Inc.
In a strong vote in favor of representation, the Cleveland area sports broadcast technicians demonstrated solidarity that will bolster them as they bargain their first union contract to provide access to quality affordable healthcare and retirement benefits, among other industry standards and conditions.
“The Cleveland market has some of the best sports broadcast technicians in the country, who, for far too long, have been working without affordable healthcare and retirement benefits. This decisive election victory is an important first step toward achieving a collectively bargained contract with our employer, not only for our veteran technicians but for our many excellent up-and-coming crew members whose careers have just begun. So proud of my coworkers and excited for the future!” Stated Brett Koren, Handheld Camera Operator.
“This is an extremely special opportunity. Our industry is changing, regional programming is changing, and we are uniting our workforce to share our common vision for the future. I can’t wait to get started and I look forward to giving each technician a voice in the workplace, emphasizing the needs of each department in contract negotiations while maintaining a strong relationship with our employer for years to come.” Said Griffin Jacob, Technical Director.
IATSE filed for recognition with the NLRB on May 11th, and the board issued a mail-in ballot recognition vote which resulted in a high voter turnout election of 77% that delivered this victory.
