CBS News employees ratify new contract

NEW YORK, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- CBS News employees, who are members of the Writers Guild of America, have overwhelmingly ratified their new contract agreement, the guild announced Thursday.

The vote was 98 percent "yes," the WGA's East and West divisions said.

The contract is effective immediately and affects an estimated 500 news writers, editors, news-desk associates, production assistants, graphic artists, promotion writers, and researchers working in television and radio on the national and local levels in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

The vote was conducted at special meetings held in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles Tuesday and Wednesday.

Under the terms of the new contract, WGA-CBS employees will receive a 3.5 percent raise immediately and again one year from now.

The contract will run through April 1, 2010.

"This very difficult-to-achieve contract is the product of a long mobilization effort by the Guilds' members working at CBS," Mona Mangan, executive director of the WGAE, said in a statement. "This strong vote of approval signals their commitment to a contract that is free of the rollbacks that members so strongly opposed. Our members look forward to a renewed commitment to quality news during an exciting presidential election year."