KEYT television news employees took to the streets with picket signs in Santa Barbara on Thursday to demand higher wages before they return to the negotiating table with the station’s parent company, News-Press & Gazette.
About 20 people met early Thursday morning at the intersection of Castillo and Carrillo streets, where they chanted slogans and waved signs as passing motorists honked in support.
KEYT employees are represented by the International Cinematographers Guild and IATSE Local 600. The union formed in November 2024 over concerns about pay rates, staffing and the lack of benefits.
“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 said the pay offered by the company is not enough, and many of the workers at the company cannot afford to live in the communities they cover.
KEYT covers the region that includes Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.
Despite that, Pratt said station employees commute daily from Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Maria to cover news and events. As a result, Pratt said the station does not have enough workers to cover breaking news like it once did.
The lack of pay also has caused a high rate of turnover for staff at the station. That, along with unfilled roles, means remaining staff must take on extra work in addition to their normal duties, according to Pratt.
He said that since the union was formed, its membership has already dropped from 40 to 30 because of people leaving over the cost of living in Santa Barbara County.
Pratt called local news a public service and said the staff cannot continue to provide it if they cannot afford to live in the community.
“We do this job not because it is easy, but because … we know it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
Raquel Ruiz, a senior business representative for IATSE, said negotiations have stalled on the issue of pay increases for employees. The company has not offered any raises and is proposing to keep employee wages the same, according to Ruiz.
“These are the workers that work at the television station. They bring you live local news every day,” Ruiz said. “They’re committed to their community. They want to be able to continue working here, making a livable wage, and with decent job protections, but the company is making it near impossible for workers to be able to do that.”
She confirmed that all direct action is on the table, and the union already approved a strike authorization.
In attendance at Thursday’s rally were Santa Barbara City Council members Oscar Gutierrez and Wendy Santamaria.
Gutierrez, who used to work at KEYT, said he was at the event to support the workers. He said low pay was an issue for employees even when he was there.
“It’s important to support a free press because it’s what keeps a democracy free,” Gutierrez said.
News-Press & Gazette representatives declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations.
