A set of bad faith anti-union legal filings by KGW-TV have met their end.
On Feb. 19, television news producers at the Portland station voted 17 to 3 to join IBEW Local 48, which already represents other workers at the station. But KGW-TV and its corporate parent Tegna refused to accept the vote and submitted a hodgepodge of frivolous legal objections. The NLRB’s regional director dismissed against all but one of those objections, and KGW appealed the dismissals to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C.
On Sept. 2, the national board responded, slapping down KGW’s case with a two-page order denying a request for review. The denial was unanimous and all three board members are appointees of President Donald Trump.
KGW’s final objection will go before a judge, likely next month. The charge: That a steward from the already-represented unit popped into the voting room to say hello, and that made workers feel watched. This from a company that deployed six security guards on the day of the election to watch workers as they entered.
Once it’s through with its legal stalling, KGW will be obligated to begin negotiating the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with the union.
