Operations workers at NESN to vote on unionizing
About 40 operation and engineering employees at New England Sports Network will vote Thursday whether to join the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, a union that is part of Communications Workers of America, one of the nation's largest unions.
The vote comes after an organizing drive spurred in large part by dissatisfaction with long hours, unpredictable schedules, and overtime pay that is lower than regular wages, according to employees and a lawyer representing the union.
"These people are being asked to work 50 and 60 hours a week without overtime pay and their schedules are subject to change at a moment's notice," said Matt Hall , an attorney for the union. "It's an impossible situation and that's why they've asked the union to represent them."
According to a website maintained by the union organizers, overtime pay declines the longer an employee works. After 65 hours in a single week, some of the employees earn less than $5 an hour.
NESN has studios in Watertown. The network is majority owned by the Boston Red Sox, with a minority stake held by the Boston Bruins. The New York Times Co., the parent company of the Boston Globe, owns a 17 percent stake in the Red Sox.
The station is available to 4 million homes throughout New England via cable, satellite, and fiber-optic systems. It televises Red Sox and Bruins games as well as college basketball games and other sports programming.
"Because they don't have to pay a reasonable overtime rate, they can understaff every department and overwork every employee," said Robbie Hyde of Medford, an audio engineer who has worked at the station since February 2006.
Sean P. McGrail , NESN's president, did not respond to messages left at his office.
In a letter to employees, McGrail wrote, "I do not believe that it is in the best interest of our employees or our business to bring a union into NESN at this time. I firmly believe that as an organization of highly motivated professionals we should be able to work together proactively without the involvement of a disinterested third party."
The employees involved in the organizing drive include video editors, technical directors, and those who oversee the broadcast of the signal.
Hall said "a large majority" of the employees in the operation and engineering department signed authorization cards earlier this year, required under labor laws to show employees are interested in union representation. A simple majority of the vote is sufficient for the union to be certified as the bargaining agent for the employees.
The organizing website said employees want to be paid time-and-a-half for work in excess of 40 hours in a week; firm work schedules set 30 days in advance; a five-day work week with consecutive days off; and wages "that are comparable to the standards of other major television stations in the Boston market." Hyde said starting part-time audio engineers with a bachelor's degree earn $8 an hour at NESN.
Jeffrey Krasner can be reached at krasner@globe.com. 
