About 20 IATSE Local 600 members, government officials, and supporters joined in arms to picket against KEYT parent company News-Press & Gazette (NPG) ahead of contract mediation on Thursday morning. According to IATSE Local 600 representative Raquel Ruiz, Thursday’s negotiations left with more of the status quo, and another mediation session has been set for June 5.
IATSE Local 600 members — which includes KEYT videographers, producers, multimedia journalists, editors, and directors — are asking for higher wages, an increase of three dollars an hour, which would allow employees to live in the communities they cover. They are also asking for better benefits, and protections on overtime and scheduling.
Over a year of contract negotiations dating back to March 2025, and about a dozen meetings between IATSE Local 600 and NPG, has caused many employees to leave the company, leaving looming vacancies…