NAHJ Expresses Concern on NBC-Telemundo Labor Conflict
NAHJ president Juan Gonzalez this week expressed concern to NBC about an on-going labor conflict at the Los Angeles and Chicago NBC-owned Telemundo stations and allegations by some of the Telemundo employees of discriminatory treatment and anti-union practices by their new NBC management. Since its recent acquisition of Telemundo, NBC has been physically merging operations of its Telemundo and English-language stations in many cities.
In a letter to NBC president Jay Ireland, Gonzalez, writing on behalf of the NAHJ board of directors, said: "We encourage NBC, indeed all networks and news operations, to treat their Latino employees with the respect due them, and in the same manner all other employees are treated. As the trend grows of media companies buying or creating Spanish-language divisions to better penetrate the vast Hispanic news market, perceptions of disparate treatment and disparate salaries - whether based in fact or not - may become more common. NAHJ's expectation is that all news organizations will recognize the value of these employees and the crucial skills they bring to the table. "
Gonzalez also urged NBC not to put "unnecessary obstacles" in the way of any Telemundo employees who have expressed their desire to unionize with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
"We fully understand that issues of salaries and working conditions are matters to be resolved between a business firm and its employees, and as a matter of course NAHJ does not get involved in labor-management disputes within media companies," Gonzalez wrote.
"But it is our responsibility to review any allegations of discriminatory treatment against our members or other Hispanic journalists. NAHJ takes no position on whether employees of Telemundo should join AFTRA or any other labor union. But we do take a position on their right to do so. "
View full text of the letter.
