Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/555596
16 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2015 | SAGAFTRA.org #W eMakeNPR. That one simple hashtag was a driving force in securing a new two-year contract for SAG-AFTRA members working on-air and off-air for National Public Radio. As contract negotiations reached a crucial point at the end of June, members at NPR collaborated with union negotiators and local and national staff by taking to Twitter to raise their voices and let management and the world know they are the backbone of the largest public media radio network in the country. Not only did members flood their personal Twitter feeds with reflections of what makes their work important to NPR, but their tweets took over SAG-AFTRA's Twitter feed, as it re-tweeted the multiple messages. The result? A new two-year agreement that includes a 2.5-percent pay raise on Jan. 1, 2016, and another 2.5-percent pay raise on Jan. 1, 2017. Negotiations with NPR began on April 22 in Washington, D.C., and concluded July 1. On July 17, the members overwhelmingly approved the new contract. The contract covers 400 public media professionals at the network and is the largest SAG-AFTRA broadcast contract nationwide. "Around the world, these dedicated media professionals and union members took to social media to share their pride in their work," said SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard. "It was truly inspiring to see their solidarity and I commend them." Chief shop steward and negotiator Richard Harris said, "Our union has built a strong collective bargaining agreement over many years, and it remains strong today. The support and solidarity from the SAG-AFTRA members gave us the strength that we needed to push this deal to a successful conclusion." Members gained a new contract after waging a successful social media campaign. Broadcast News Negotiations with NPR began on April 22 SAG-AFTRA MEMBERS AT NPR TELL THE WORLD #WEMAKENPR TWITTER TWITTER TWITTER