Graphic Audio First Contract Negotiations: Summary of 3/10/26

Summary of 03.10.26 Events for Mobilizing Committee

● Today was our eighth bargaining session with RB. In attendance on the Union side was Donald, Aeri, Laura, Nicolette (from GA), Tammy, Kisha, Brandon, and Lisa (from CWA). Present on the Employer side was Justin Keith (lawyer), Anji Cornette (GA VP GM), Ed Longo (RB COO), and Shana Jackson (RB VP HR).

● We began the day in caucus with Kisha leading our review of the severance benefits proposal we planned to pass in the second meeting with RB. For the first meeting, we anticipated RB passing a counter proposal to our initial layoff and recall proposal.

     ○ 1.0 - LAYOFF AND RECALL

          ■ This proposal was passed in the seventh, 03.04.26, bargaining session. The proposal makes clear the Union’s stance on sufficient notice of a proposed layoff or force reduction. It includes protections for current employees who may want to volunteer, the Union stance for all layoff employees to continue working as 1099 voice actors, and recall procedure for the time when Graphic Audio is willing to open hiring for the layoff-impacted roles.
          ■ The RB lawyer, Justin’s, response was repetitively stated that the Company is simply saying they know the number of people needed to complete a certain number of titles and the title reduction was a decision based on capital investment.

     ○ 1.0S - SEVERANCE BENEFITS

          ■ This proposal included language pertaining to current employee benefits, benefits listed in the Company exit document, pay rate and pay schedule expectations, post-employment healthcare, and the way we expect titles in progress to be handled in regards to credit and bonus for affected employees.

● We left caucus to meet at the table. The meeting began with Justin presenting the Company’s effects bargaining agreement that contained language from our proposal as well as treatment for the 22 persons impacted as a result of the title reduction. The topics included in this agreement were economics, layoff, and recall. Justin said the Company was appreciative of our robust proposal but what they are trying to do here is address benefits to only the 22 people so we should not get bogged down by any ancillary issues. Justin continued with the presentation of a separation agreement that addressed the terms of the effects bargaining agreement and outcomes.

● Once Justin stated that the Company would prefer that the Union take lead on offering the volunteer option to current employees, Lisa regained control of the conversation to say that since the Company made and continues to make unilateral decisions based on Union proposals then GA-RB should present this volunteer option to current employees.

● The posture of the RB lawyer growlingly surpassed contentious as Lisa explained that the use of our seniority proposal to rationalize the mass layoff strikes us as anti-union. Lisa, Donald, and Nicolette all made points to clarify any confusions Justin admitted to having. Lisa ended that line of conversation and redirected our focus towards any remaining points the Company wanted to make regarding the agreements masquerading as proposals. Justin presented a template schedule in order to receive the RB severance agreement and transition services benefits guide. Lisa asked if any language within the documents presented related to a non-compete and Justin replied no. Shana said that the transition service was one of the preferred vendors used in their corporate ownership.

● We returned to caucus to review the GA-RB documents. Lisa notified us that the employer sent the documents with a note that they chose to withdraw their volunteer proposal because of the Union’s “opposition” to it. Lisa scheduled a sidebar where she, Justin, and Aeri were in attendance. During that sidebar, the remaining BC continued editing the severance proposal and added questions to the GA-RB agreements. Before we left to return to the table, we agreed to draft a proposal about extending the date for layoff.

● All original Attendees were present at this table meeting. Lisa began by starting this discussion to level set where we left off at the last table meeting. Lisa stated that we provided a robust layoff and recall proposal that applied to 95% of the laid off people. The Union is interested in volunteering, pushing the final end date, 1099, etc. Our severance proposal would also address topics that we put across in the recall proposal. Lisa said she would present and then email the document afterwards. Justin said thank you.

● There was only one question from Shana regarding the proposal format that RB submitted as an agreement. Lisa says that the proposals we pass are what we are accustomed to passing between employers and this is the first time she has seen an agreement passed as a proposal before we reach an agreement and Justin can talk through why he chose to use that format.

● We returned to caucus to write a proposal for extending the layoff date entitled 1.0L - LAYOFF DATE EXTENSION.

● Lisa presented this one proposal in the following table meeting so that both sides of the table could come to an understanding that perhaps can be obtained between now and Thursday pertaining to the extension of the layoff end date. Justin said he understood.

● We returned to the caucus to debrief before the end of the day and planned to meet for a bargaining prep session that evening. Lisa explained that the lasting language in a contract Tentative Agreement for severance and recall will likely look different than what we are negotiating now in this layoff moment