Cascade PBS Union files ULP

Workers’ right to share information on union activity violated, per union

SEATTLE, WA (April 3, 2025) — The union representing workers at Cascade PBS has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against their employer this past weekend, as negotiations to renew their contract continue.

The complaint states the employer violated the workers’ right to discuss and share information on their union activity in non-work spaces; in response to questions from non-union colleagues, union members had shared a flyer on their contract negotiations in a non-work slack channel. The employer deleted it.

In a post on Twitter, the union suggested Cascade PBS may be, “scared of what might happen if everyone at the company realizes they have the power to fight back against below-market wages, substandard benefits and insufficient protections.”

Photo: Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild via Twitter

The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, which represents Cascade PBS journalists organized as the Cascade PBS Union, is currently negotiating a new contract, with workers’ demands focused on fair wages, better benefits and strong workplace protections. Specifically, they want wages that keep pace with inflation and the high cost of living in Seattle, improvements to PTO and retirement, meaningful severance if laid off, and fully paid parental leave.

The union reports that while the company has so far refused to move on workers’ demands, Rob Dunlop, CEO of Cascade PBS, earned almost seven times the average salary of a newsroom journalist last year, with a bonus so big that it alone would make him one of the highest-paid unit members in the newsroom.

The bargaining unit includes reporters, editors, filmmakers and podcasters. It’s their long hours of work that deliver high-quality, independent, local journalism covering the issues that matter most to everyday Washingtonians. But despite their dedication and value to community, handsomely-paid higher ups at Cascade PBS continue to stall on fair wages, benefits, and worker protections after nearly 10 months of bargaining.

TAKE A STAND: support union siblings at Cascade PBS by signing their petition to management today.