Re: Entercom imposes contract on AFTRA

["Dan Billings" <billings@suscom-maine.net>]

Another thought:  Consolidation has effected salaries in another way  --
there are fewer places to work so employees have less negotiating leverage.
When I started in radio in the 1980s, there were about a dozen different
places to work in the Portland market.  I never had to worry about pissing
off the PD.  I knew I could leave one job and be on the air at another
station in a few days.  (One time, I actually quit my job at one station and
ended up filling in at another station that same day.)  Now there are four
different places to work in the Portland market, and only three of those
have many jobs.  If an employee leaves one of the companies on bad terms,
they have significantly limited their ability to work in the market.  As a
result, when it comes time to negotiate pay, except for a handful of people
in the market, the employee can't afford to play hard ball or threaten to
walk.

By the way: I'm not suggesting that consolidation should be undone.  Just
pointing out one of the effects.

-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine