Dozens of unionized employees from CBS News’ streaming division initiated a 24-hour strike on Tuesday, protesting a stalemate in contract negotiations under the leadership of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. The industrial action, involving staff at the network’s New York headquarters and the KPIX-TV CBS News Bay Area office in San Francisco, underscores growing tensions within the organization.
Photo: thedailybeast.com
The roughly 60-person unionized team from “CBS News 24/7” engaged in the walkout after talks with management failed to produce an agreement on crucial issues including salary increases, predictable work schedules, and severance packages. The three-year contract for these employees had recently expired, leaving them without new protections, as reported by The Wrap.
Demands for Fair Treatment and Investment
Jordan Lilly, a producer for CBS News 24/7 and a member of the bargaining committee, emphasized the long-standing commitment of the streaming staff. “We agree that streaming news is definitely the future,” Lilly stated, adding, “We’ve been doing it here for 12 years. Glad that the rest of the world is catching up.” He asserted that if streaming is indeed the company’s future, it requires commensurate investment.
Lilly also highlighted challenging work conditions, noting that managers have imposed mandatory weekend shifts, often extending up to 12 hours, despite the absence of dedicated weekend programming for CBS News 24/7. He characterized management’s approach as a “get on board or get out” ultimatum, expressing a common sentiment among staff: “We generally get treated like we are lucky to be here even though we are the ones that make everything show up on your screen.”
Photo: thedailybeast.com
Bari Weiss’s Controversial Tenure and Union Relations
This marks Bari Weiss’s inaugural negotiation with a union in her role at CBS News. Her previous venture, the anti-woke website The Free Press, operates without union representation. CBS News acquired Weiss’s blog for $150 million last year, subsequently appointing her as editor-in-chief—a move that drew scrutiny due to her lack of prior television news experience. Critics also point to her past actions, such as crossing a picket line at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to participate in a feature about herself during an ongoing employee strike.
A spokesperson for CBS News responded to the situation, affirming, “We continue to negotiate in good faith and hope to reach a fair resolution quickly.”
Photo: thedailybeast.com
Tiffany Hudson, another producer for CBS News 24/7, commented on the limited communication from Weiss to her team. “Our members have been hearing things essentially through trade publications, in the rumor mill, about changes to our workplace,” Hudson explained. She stressed the importance of securing strong contractual protections for severance and overtime, regardless of future organizational shifts.
Uncertainty Looms Amidst Restructuring and Layoff Fears
The demand for improved severance packages remains a critical concern for union members, particularly given CBS’s announced plans to lay off 15 percent of its staff as part of Weiss’s restructuring efforts. Fears of job cuts are further exacerbated by the proposed $110 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company.
Both Lilly and Hudson noted the lack of transparency from management regarding potential layoffs. Lilly articulated the union’s stance: “With the prospect of layoffs, with or without that merger sort of perpetually on the horizon, the best way to insulate our colleagues from damage is to just make sure that they have an equitable exit package should they lose their job.”
Photo: thedailybeast.com
Weiss’s leadership at CBS News has been described as tumultuous, marked by the departure of key talent, reportedly abysmal ratings for flagship news programs, and accusations of shifting the network towards a more “Trump-friendly” stance.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents CBS News 24/7, has previously intervened regarding Weiss’s directives. The union advised employees that they were not obligated to comply with a request from Weiss asking them to provide a detailed, “DOGE-style” list of their daily tasks. At the time, the WGA stated, “We are aware that Bari Weiss sent an email asking CBS employees to provide information about their jobs and feedback about CBS News. Many of you have expressed concern to us about the purpose of the email, and we share those concerns.”
