Union: NBC
is the real Grinch this year
NABET-CWA threatens to douse tonight's tree lighting
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Dec 2, 2009
ABC may broadcast "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," but a group of union workers claim NBC is the real Grinch.
Yesterday the union took a bargaining dispute with the network public, threatening to darken the traditional Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting special if no further contract negotiation dates are set up.
The special is slated to air tonight at 8 p.m., hosted by "30 Rock's" Jane Krakowski and "Chuck's " Zachary Levi.
The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, which claims to employ some 3,000 of the network's producers, writers and technicians, says it will boycott the ceremony tonight unless NBC agrees to meet with them.
If its members don't show up, the union implies, there will be no one to light the tree.
NBC, for its part, claims that the NABET-CWA has been the one unwilling to meet and says the lighting ceremony will air as expected.
To help drum up public support, the NABET-CWA came up with the Grinch-themed campaign, casting NBC as the nasty character who wants to steal Christmas.
On the web site NBCStoleChristmas.com, there's a poem about the stalled negotiations, reading in part: "Every Who/In the crew/Liked the Christmas tree lighting a lot.../But the NBC grinch just didn't see/Without them, the lights would light not!"
The union has also arranged for updates on the situation to be sent out to those who text "Grinch" to a certain number.
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