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Though Bridget Harry, a news producer, has been employed at WROC TV-8 for just over a year, she joined her coworkers as they picketed this week.
“We’re fighting for fair contracts, fair wages,” Harry says. “We want Nexstar, our parent company, to come to the bargaining table because, thus far, they’re just being tied up with legal fees and kind of stalling things so that they don’t have to come to the bargaining table with us.”
Following a successful election (with 48 votes cast, 29 were in favor of a union) in February 2023, the National Labor Relations Board certified NABET-CWA Local 22 as the bargaining representative for WROC. This certification has been contested by Nexstar Media over the eligibility of employees to be represented. A refusal-to-bargain case was brought by the NLRB in August 2024, which ultimately ordered Nexstar to bargain with the unit.
Bob Pastecki, president of NABET-CWA Local 22, says efforts to unionize have stalled as Nexstar seeks to have the case heard in Louisiana, rather than New York, where the NLRB originally filed it. Pastecki maintains that since the case was originally filed here, and because the employees work in New York, the case should be heard in the state.
“The (Second Circuit Court of Appeals) had a three-judge panel that said, ‘Yes, this should be heard in New York State,’” explains Pastecki. “What we’re waiting on is to hear the appeal to move the case down to Louisiana.”
A push for unionization has largely been motivated by a desire to increase staff support. Pastecki and WROC employees describe a culture of high turnover and poor work-life balance, with staff often holding multiple positions.
“The more longevity you have in your coworkers, the better your news product becomes,” Pastecki says. “You have people who know the community, they have ties to the community (and) they know the people who are in the community.”
In March, President Donald Trump nominated Crystal Carey as general counsel of the NLRB. The board has been without a quorum since the dismissal of former board member Gwynne Wilcox earlier this year. Even so, Pastecki maintains that WROC’s efforts are not entirely reliant on federal actions.
“The good thing with us is we started before the Trump administration, and we were so far along that the lawyers and the courts already have the case,” he says.
State Assemblymember Harry Bronson attended the picket line Wednesday in support of the WROC workers, just weeks after helping to pass legislation that would give the state’s Public Employees Relations Board the power to hear state cases and certify bargaining representatives, should the NLRB fail to re-establish a quorum.
“The Trump administration has failed to fill vacancies and created yet a third vacancy on a five-member board. The National Labor Relations Board no longer has a quorum. That means it’s ineffective,” Bronson said. “It cannot hear any cases. That puts a halt to what our New York State constitution provides for, and that’s organizing and representation.”
While picket lines continue to be organized, Pastecki is holding off on conversations around a strike for now. As journalists, he maintains, the employees love their job and the service they provide to the public.
“We’re not parasites,” Pastecki maintains. “They may see us as parasites, but we want to help the company stay strong because we like our jobs, too. That’s why we’re here.”
Nexstar did not respond to the Beacon’s request for comment.
Narm Nathan is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and a member of the Oasis Project’s inaugural cohort.
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