The staffs at Minnesota Public Radio’s two music stations, 89.3 The Current and Classical MPR, have voted to unionize and join SAG-AFTRA.
More than 80 percent of the employees signed the pair of union recognition petitions, which they delivered to MPR and its parent company, American Public Media, on Thursday.
The two unions started a joint Twitter account where they outlined what they hope to gain from the move: “We are united in seeking fair and equitable compensation; an actionable and measurable plan to diversify the staff of both of our stations; and consistency and transparency in employee discipline and termination.”
An MPR spokesperson acknowledged that management received the letters and said, “We’re currently reviewing the details of these letters and are considering the requests included.”
The unions include on-air talent, producers and all the people who make content for the two stations. MPR News unionized its newsroom back in 2016.
The news is the latest in what’s been a rocky time for the St. Paul-based public radio giant, which has shed more than four dozen staffers to buyouts and layoffs. Earlier this month, longtime MPR News arts reporter Marianne Combs broke the story that Classical MPR had fired Garrett McQueen, the station’s only Black host, after he refused to stop deviating from the station’s playlist. Days later, Combs resigned after she said that her editors were sitting on a story about sexual misconduct. After blowback from listeners and Current staffers, MPR fired Current DJ Eric Malmberg, the subject of Combs’ story.
Tuesday, a group of unnamed MPR and APM employees launched a website, transformmpr.org, where they shared a list of demands “to improve our company culture and our news coverage.” That same day, APMG CEO Jon McTaggart — who is one of the highest-paid public media CEOs in the country — announced he will step down from his position. He plans to stay with the company while the board seeks his replacement.
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September 25, 2020 at 05:35AM
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Staffers at MPR’s music stations The Current and Classical MPR vote to unionize - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
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