Workers “are fighting to protect their livelihoods during a period of uncertainty in broadcast news,” the union said.
By Chris Walker ,
March 17, 2026
CBS Broadcast Center, building exterior and awning, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Workers within CBS News’s online streaming division began a 24-hour bicoastal walkout on Tuesday, one week after their contract with the company expired.
The workers, who provide content for CBS News 24/7, are represented by the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE). The union alleges that management’s offers to renegotiate the contract are unacceptable, featuring terms worse than those offered in the past.
Workers are seeking better wages as well as improved working conditions. When contract negotiations broke down and the contract expired on March 9, the union alerted management that a walkout would happen, delivering a strike pledge the following day.
With its parent company, Paramount Skydance, preparing to spend over $110 billion to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (with Skydance having spent more than $8 billion to buy Paramount just last year), it is unacceptable for CBS News to treat its workers poorly, the union said.
“Paramount has billions to spend acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, but still hasn’t guaranteed fair wages and basic job protections for the workers who make their streaming news operation run,” read a statement from WGAE Vice President of Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News Beth Godvik. “Our members are walking out today to show management they stand united in their demand for a fair contract — and the WGAE is with them every step of the way.”
Workers within CBS News’s online streaming division began a 24-hour bicoastal walkout on Tuesday, one week after their contract with the company expired.
The workers, who provide content for CBS News 24/7, are represented by the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE). The union alleges that management’s offers to renegotiate the contract are unacceptable, featuring terms worse than those offered in the past.
Workers are seeking better wages as well as improved working conditions. When contract negotiations broke down and the contract expired on March 9, the union alerted management that a walkout would happen, delivering a strike pledge the following day.
With its parent company, Paramount Skydance, preparing to spend over $110 billion to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (with Skydance having spent more than $8 billion to buy Paramount just last year), it is unacceptable for CBS News to treat its workers poorly, the union said.
“Paramount has billions to spend acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, but still hasn’t guaranteed fair wages and basic job protections for the workers who make their streaming news operation run,” read a statement from WGAE Vice President of Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News Beth Godvik. “Our members are walking out today to show management they stand united in their demand for a fair contract — and the WGAE is with them every step of the way.”
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The newsroom has faced a recent round of layoffs since the acquisition by Skydance. More layoffs are expected, and another round could come following the proposed purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Members are fighting to protect their livelihoods during a period of uncertainty in broadcast news,” reads a press release from WGAE explaining the walkout. “Layoffs, editorial interference and political pressure have all become existential threats following the Paramount Skydance merger, and those same concerns have escalated with a possible merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. The bargaining unit is demanding fair pay, respect, and a sustainable work-life balance.”
The walkout is happening outside of the CBS News broadcast center in New York, as well as a CBS News affiliate station in San Francisco. The worker rights action is the first to occur since the Skydance buyout, and since conservative commentator Bari Weiss was named editor-in-chief of CBS News.
CBS News has faced widespread criticism since Weiss, a Trump-friendly journalist, took over. Her decision to pull a “60 Minutes” segment on the administration deporting immigrants to a super-prison in El Salvador was deemed a “political” choice by a correspondent on the program, for example.
Since Weiss’s takeover, the network has also gutted its climate team, which will likely result in a reduction of reporting on the climate crisis. And ratings have dropped dramatically since Weiss appointed right-wing journalist Tony Dokoupil to head its weeknight “CBS Evening News” program.
CBS News Streaming Workers Walk Out After Collapse of Contract Talks Under Bari Weiss
“Management refuses to agree to a new contract with essential work protections and fair wages,” said the workers’ negotiating team.
People walk by the CBS News Broadcast Center in New York City on December 23, 2025.
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jessica Corbett
Mar 17, 2026
COMMON DREAMS
Unionized workers with CBS News’ streaming channel began a bicoastal one-day walkout Tuesday morning after unsuccessful negotiations for a “fair and just” contract under Bari Weiss, who has faced intense criticism on a range of topics since taking over as editor-in-chief.
CBS News is part of the media behemoth Paramount Skydance, which was formed in a controversial merger last August. Two months later, the company acquired Weiss’ The Free Press, and CEO David Ellison appointed her to also lead all of CBS News, despite her lack of television experience.
The latest contract for the streaming channel, CBS News 24/7, expired last week, after which the workers delivered a strike pledge. Tuesday’s 24-hour walkout—with rallies at CBS News Broadcast Center in New York City and at KPIX-TV CBS News Bay Area in San Francisco, California—kicked off at 6:00 am Eastern time.
“CBS News 24/7 journalists are walking off the job on both coasts today because management refuses to agree to a new contract with essential work protections and fair wages,” the bargaining committee and contract action team said in a statement from Writers Guild of America East (WGAE).
“Despite multiple days of good-faith negotiations and a strike pledge signed by 95% of our members to emphasize the seriousness of our demands, management continues to offer us worse terms than in our last contracts,” the team said. “We chose this field to cover the news, but we believe this work stoppage is necessary to achieve a fair contract. We eagerly await an acceptable contract offer from Paramount—which just shelled out tens of billions of dollars to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.”
Deadline explained that “the newsroom has undergone rounds of layoffs and buyouts, and more are expected. There also are fears of further downsizing when Paramount completes its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, given that will leave the company with two global news outlets, CBS News and CNN.”
Beth Godvik, WGAE vice president of broadcast/cable/streaming news, called out Paramount for striking a $110 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery while it “still hasn’t guaranteed fair wages and basic job protections for the workers who make their streaming news operation run.”
“Our members are walking out today to show management they stand united in their demand for a fair contract—and the WGAE is with them every step of the way,” said Godvik.
As The Wrap noted:
The battle puts Weiss, an opinion journalist who had no TV news experience before she became CBS News’ editor-in-chief last October, in the position of negotiating with a union under her purview for the first time. The union dispute comes as the network has already been rocked by star departures and scrutiny over its coverage.
The Free Press, the anti-woke outlet Weiss cofounded and still leads, is not unionized, while CBS News has four main bargaining units, including the Writers Guild of America-backed CBS News 24/7, which launched in 2014 and rebroadcasts CBS News shows like “60 Minutes” and “CBS Mornings” along with original shows like “The Takeout with Major Garrett.”
A CBS News spokesperson told The Guardian that “we continue to negotiate in good faith and hope to reach a fair resolution quickly.”
Meanwhile, multiple members of Congress expressed support for the work stoppage on social media.
“If Paramount can shell out billions of dollars to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, then they can pay their unionized CBS staff a fair wage,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). “I stand with the CBS staff who walked out today as they fight these corporate giants for essential protections and fair contracts.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) declared that “American workers deserve fair pay and basic protections—full stop. I stand with the 60 CBS News 24/7 journalists walking off the job today in New York and San Francisco. Paramount is finalizing a $110 BILLION deal but can’t give its own workers a fair contract?”
“Management refuses to agree to a new contract with essential work protections and fair wages,” said the workers’ negotiating team.
People walk by the CBS News Broadcast Center in New York City on December 23, 2025.
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jessica Corbett
Mar 17, 2026
COMMON DREAMS
Unionized workers with CBS News’ streaming channel began a bicoastal one-day walkout Tuesday morning after unsuccessful negotiations for a “fair and just” contract under Bari Weiss, who has faced intense criticism on a range of topics since taking over as editor-in-chief.
CBS News is part of the media behemoth Paramount Skydance, which was formed in a controversial merger last August. Two months later, the company acquired Weiss’ The Free Press, and CEO David Ellison appointed her to also lead all of CBS News, despite her lack of television experience.
The latest contract for the streaming channel, CBS News 24/7, expired last week, after which the workers delivered a strike pledge. Tuesday’s 24-hour walkout—with rallies at CBS News Broadcast Center in New York City and at KPIX-TV CBS News Bay Area in San Francisco, California—kicked off at 6:00 am Eastern time.
“CBS News 24/7 journalists are walking off the job on both coasts today because management refuses to agree to a new contract with essential work protections and fair wages,” the bargaining committee and contract action team said in a statement from Writers Guild of America East (WGAE).
“Despite multiple days of good-faith negotiations and a strike pledge signed by 95% of our members to emphasize the seriousness of our demands, management continues to offer us worse terms than in our last contracts,” the team said. “We chose this field to cover the news, but we believe this work stoppage is necessary to achieve a fair contract. We eagerly await an acceptable contract offer from Paramount—which just shelled out tens of billions of dollars to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.”
Deadline explained that “the newsroom has undergone rounds of layoffs and buyouts, and more are expected. There also are fears of further downsizing when Paramount completes its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, given that will leave the company with two global news outlets, CBS News and CNN.”
Beth Godvik, WGAE vice president of broadcast/cable/streaming news, called out Paramount for striking a $110 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery while it “still hasn’t guaranteed fair wages and basic job protections for the workers who make their streaming news operation run.”
“Our members are walking out today to show management they stand united in their demand for a fair contract—and the WGAE is with them every step of the way,” said Godvik.
As The Wrap noted:
The battle puts Weiss, an opinion journalist who had no TV news experience before she became CBS News’ editor-in-chief last October, in the position of negotiating with a union under her purview for the first time. The union dispute comes as the network has already been rocked by star departures and scrutiny over its coverage.
The Free Press, the anti-woke outlet Weiss cofounded and still leads, is not unionized, while CBS News has four main bargaining units, including the Writers Guild of America-backed CBS News 24/7, which launched in 2014 and rebroadcasts CBS News shows like “60 Minutes” and “CBS Mornings” along with original shows like “The Takeout with Major Garrett.”
A CBS News spokesperson told The Guardian that “we continue to negotiate in good faith and hope to reach a fair resolution quickly.”
Meanwhile, multiple members of Congress expressed support for the work stoppage on social media.
“If Paramount can shell out billions of dollars to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, then they can pay their unionized CBS staff a fair wage,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). “I stand with the CBS staff who walked out today as they fight these corporate giants for essential protections and fair contracts.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) declared that “American workers deserve fair pay and basic protections—full stop. I stand with the 60 CBS News 24/7 journalists walking off the job today in New York and San Francisco. Paramount is finalizing a $110 BILLION deal but can’t give its own workers a fair contract?”
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