With CBS News moving forward with its second round of layoffs since the network’s owner, Paramount, merged with Skydance Media and Friday’s announcement that the nearly 100-year old CBS New Radio would be shut down, the organization representing media tech employees is calling for more oversight.
In an announcement on Friday, the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) said the sudden developments were cause for concern.
“The IBEW is proud of its longstanding partnership with CBS and is deeply troubled to be learning of these developments only now,” the union said in a statement. “CBS works because of the skill, dedication, and professionalism of the IBEW technical and production workers who make its broadcasts possible. The IBEW believes that a workforce of this caliber—and partnership of this duration—warrants direct and transparent communication about decisions that affect the livelihoods of its members.”
Article continues below“Skydance’s actions raise serious questions about the future of good union jobs in broadcasting,” the union added. “And with Skydance reportedly planning to merge CBS News into CNN following its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, lawmakers and regulators must ask whether further consolidation in the broadcast industry will help working people or hurt them.”
IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper called on the company to act more professionally when it comes to such incidents.
“Our members and this union deserve to hear about decisions that affect their livelihoods with proper notice, not in headlines the same day they’re being shown the door,” he said.
Although the companies officially merged in 2025, they are in the midst of a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after beating out Netflix, in a deal valued at $111 billion.
IBEW's announcement comes a week after the Teamsters union submitted a detailed report to the DOJ's Antitrust Division outlining its own concerns about the proposed merger and urging the DOJ to intervene and block the deal unless substantial and enforceable safeguards are put in place to increase domestic production and protect jobs. warned
"This merger threatens the livelihoods of the very workers who built these studios into industry giants," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "We've seen what happens when corporations consolidate power: jobs disappear, production leaves American communities, and workers pay the price. The DOJ has a responsibility to stop deals that eliminate competition and harm working families. Unless Paramount and Warner Bros. can guarantee enforceable protections for domestic production and labor standards, this merger can't be allowed to move forward."
