My Autobiography, Chapter 10: Union Officer

by Paul Pakusch

When I first started working at WROC Channel 8 in May of 1982, I was required to join the union that represents engineers and news photographers at that station and at WHEC Channel 10.  The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) represented TV and radio stations all over the country and Canada, including the TV networks ABC and NBC.  At the time I joined, the international office was in Chicago.  Across the two countries, NABET was made up of Locals representing the TV and radio stations in their cities.

In Rochester, NABET Local 22 served Channels 8 and 10, and during the 1950’s and 60’s, WOKR Channel 13.  I joined at WROC and maintained my membership when my employment changed to WHEC.

The executive board was made up of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and generally two shop stewards at each station.  In 1985, the office of Local Secretary was open and I was encouraged to run for it.  No competition, so I was voted in by acclamation. 

One of the first influences I had in how business was conducted was a simple suggestion. Local 22’s general meetings were usually held on Saturday mornings and were poorly attended.  They generally served coffee.  My suggestion was to change the meetings to weekday evenings, when the evening shifts at both stations were on their dinner break, open the bar and serve pizza.  Well, it worked!  Attendance at the general meetings shot up.

In 1986, this young whippersnapper had the opportunity to represent Local 22 at NABET’s International Convention in Fort Lauderdale.  I met broadcast employees and fellow NABET members from all over the U.S. and Canada.  I learned how TV and radio stations were all dealing with the same labor issues, and I learned how they dealt with them.  This became the pattern for the next 20 years as I frequently attended NABET Conventions, Conferences, Regional Advisory Meetings, and later CWA Conventions when NABET merged with and became a Sector of the Communication Workers of America.  I also got caught up in the internal politics of NABET-CWA. NABET merged with CWA in 1993.  By that time, NABET Canada had separated from NABET, so it was no longer an international union.

My time as a local union officer lasted for the better part of the years from 1985 to 2014.  There were a few times during those years when I was not an officer, but cumulatively, I was either treasurer, president or secretary for about 25 years.  We had some difficult contract negotiations during that period at both stations.  We never went on strike, but we had several instances of mobilization campaigns.  That’s where you go public; you get politicians involved in your cause, post billboards and bus signs, contact the station’s advertisers, etc.  I can remember one negotiating session where we were sitting in a conference room on Main Street in Rochester, and we watched buses go by with our signs on the side of them!

On the day I was layed off from channel 10, I resigned as a  NABET-CWA Local officer.  I have since considered myself retired from broadcasting and recently received my NABET-CWA Retired Member’s Gold Card.

Subsequent entries to my autobiography series will be posted every Saturday morning until further notice.  If you wish to subscribe to notifications of my posts, please enter your e-mail address in the form at the right, under "Follow by e-mail."  If you wish to view previous blog posts of my autobiography, please click on the link under "blog categories" at the top right, "autobiography."