KEYT-TV reporters, directors, videographers, and other unionized news staff struck starting at 11:35 p.m. Tuesday, with picket lines outside the station from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5.
Union Representative Raquel Ruiz said in a press release that despite good-faith efforts, the union and station management made no meaningful progress at the bargaining table, with workers facing “delays, refusals to provide essential information, and conduct that undermined meaningful bargaining,” before members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.
The strike, called in response to News-Press & Gazette’s alleged unfair labor practices, ended at 11:35 p.m. Wednesday.
KEYT voted to unionize in November 2024 in a 17-13 vote, joining IATSE Local 600, the International Cinematographers Guild, which represents 13 other broadcast news stations across the United States.
95% of members voted to approve the strike in late July.
“After the last session, it was very clear to us that they were bargaining in bad faith,” Ruiz told coverage outlets, “and that’s why we called the strike after the last mediation session.”
The guild represents about 30 KEYT employees, including videographers, producers and other staff, with some anchors also included if they have more than one job title requiring duties outside of their anchor position.
Nearly two years of negotiations preceded the strike action.
Strike lines were scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the KEYT station at 730 Miramonte Drive, then move to Old Mission Santa Barbara at 2201 Laguna Street beginning at 2 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m.
Gene Silva, a KEYT videographer, described recent rounds of negotiations that fell apart July 22 as the catalyst for the strike, saying “We really wish that we didn’t have to do this.”
“It’s like they wanted to give us less and less every single time,” Silva added.
KEYT staff have repeatedly called for higher wages and better benefits, saying their pay is not enough to live on and they cannot afford to live in the community they cover.
Silva said: “We do highly skilled, technically demanding work that keeps this station on the air and the community informed, yet we’re being asked to survive on wages that barely meet the legal minimum. This isn’t about luxury. It’s about dignity, fairness, and being able to live in the community we serve.”
“We unionized because we were just fed up with the level of disrespect that was handed to us by the (owners),” said Owen Pratt, a news producer and lead organizer for the union.
“We are frustrated with our level of pay, we’re frustrated with our staffing, we’re frustrated with our benefits, and we unionized because we felt like we wanted to give ourselves more power to fight for things that we deserve,” Pratt continued.
Half of the KEYT newsroom bargaining unit makes the California minimum wage of $16.90 per hour.
KEYT producer Owen Pratt noted the strike coincided with ongoing fires, saying “It’s not just a content issue for us. It’s a public safety thing,” while noting that from Santa Maria to San Miguel—a 200-mile coverage area—there are only two staffers available to cover breaking news.
Pratt said that while there were about 40 union members when negotiations started, now there are about 30.
Just ahead of the unionization vote, IATSE Local 600 filed a case with the National Labor Relations Board alleging coercive statements, and has since filed three other cases alleging News-Press & Gazette refused to bargain in good faith, refused to give union representatives legally required information, and has not upheld its contract.
During negotiations, NPG proposed a wage grid that for some technical employees fell below Santa Barbara’s minimum wage requirements, and after the union raised compliance concerns, the proposal was revised to offer only the legal minimum wage.
While morning show anchors are among union members, evening and nighttime anchors are not; KEYT reporter John Palminteri, arguably the most recognizable television personality in Santa Barbara, is represented by the union.
“That’s when the membership decided to pull the trigger,” Ruiz said, “and every bargaining member participated in a vote that won with 95% in support of the strike.”
“Journalism matters,” Silva said. “We all deserve dignity as workers in this field.”
Ruiz said the guild may organize a longer strike in the future, but the goal of the 24-hour strike is to bring management back to the bargaining table with a fair contract offer.
In the viral moment that sparked the labor action, KEYT—the Santa Barbara-area ABC and CBS affiliate owned by Missouri-based News-Press & Gazette—faced a historic walkout by its unionized newsroom workers.
The strike was intended to pressure the station’s Missouri-based ownership after nearly two years of newsroom strife over wages and working conditions.
The strike coincided with the first day of Santa Barbara’s annual Fiesta.
It was unclear how the station planned to fill its multiple daily news shows; however, the strike, timed to start after the 11 p.m. news ends Tuesday, was not expected to significantly disrupt a live Wednesday evening broadcast of La Fiesta Pequeña, the Old Spanish Days opening ceremony at the Old Mission Santa Barbara.
A community support table was set up at the rally for the public to lend their support to the guild.