L-A Radio: Union Accuses SBS Of Unfair Labor Practices

On the popular KLAX La Raza radio station, which pipes regional Mexican music to Los Angeles, he is known as DJ Mr. Boro. But, reports the L-A Times, last month, Félix Castillo stood on a flatbed truck parked on a Mid-Wilshire side street to address a crowd as himself: an underpaid, highly qualified Mexican American radio worker.

The 39-year-old was protesting what his union described as planned double-digit wage cuts proposed by his employer.  Castillo called out to about 50 supporters wearing black-and-yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Fair Contract Now.” “We are honest, hardworking people, and we are tired of waiting for change.”

After more than three years of contentious and fruitless bargaining, this month the 28-member union of deejays, hosts, announcers and mixers at L.A. stations La Raza 97.9 FM and KXOL Mega 96.3 FM will bring their complaints to the National Labor Relations Board against their Miami-based company, Spanish Broadcasting System.

La Raza and Mega are the first Spanish-language radio stations to unionize. Their standoff with SBS highlights a broader push by Hollywood’s biggest union to organize Latino media nationwide. SAG-AFTRA is expanding into Spanish-language radio.

After 100 bargaining sessions, SAG says SBS has engaged in numerous unfair labor practices in violation of federal law. The union says SBS has proposed a contract that calls for wage cuts.

The National Labor Relations Board has issued three complaints against SBS.

Revenue for Spanish-language radio stations reached $864 million in 2018, out of a $13.1-billion industry total in the U.S., according to BIA advisory services. That was down, in line with the rest of the radio industry, from a recent peak of $949 million in 2013.

The market is fiercely competitive in L.A., with former Spanish pop station KXOS 93.9 FM recently switching to a bilingual Latin urban format, chipping away at the ratings of SBS’ KXOL-FM known as Mega.

SBS, a publicly listed company, is led by the Alarcón family, which immigrated to New York from Cuba in the 1960s. Raúl Alarcón Jr., who is chairman of SBS’ board of directors and CEO, controls the company.