WGA East Slams “Shameful” & “Draconian” CBS Broadcasting Layoffs

The WGA East issued a scathing statement Wednesday, slamming the latest round of Paramount layoffs that saw 12 of its members cut across CBS broadcasting divisions.

“These shameful layoffs are a blow to CBS’s already stretched-thin newsrooms, impact people who worked tirelessly through the pandemic and come in the midst of a Presidential election cycle, and the entire industry is keenly aware that the company plans to execute further draconian staff reductions in the near future,” the statement said.

The guild argued the the layoffs “serve no purpose other than to satisfy investor relations as part of its pending acquisition by Skydance Media,” noting that the “ruthless cuts did not impact their highest earning executives.”

The statement ended by assuring that the WGA East is working to ensure that members receive any benefits that are still owed to them amid these layoffs.

In all, about 2,000 employees will be departing Paramount during this round of layoffs, which are hitting 15% of the company’s U.S. workforce. Paramount Co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins have said the cuts will help the company achieve $500 million in annual cost savings. The Skydance merger, which was formalized last month, is expected to close in the first half of 2025.

The WGA East is not the first union to slam the cutbacks. The IBEW, which is the largest union representing CBS employees, said it was “disappointed” in the layoffs in a statement Tuesday.

“IBEW members have been producing CBS broadcasts since before the invention of television, and these layoffs are a hard pill to swallow,” that statement read.

The IBEW also vowed to closely monitor the review of Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance Media by the FCC and other regulatory agencies, though regulatory experts and Washington, D.C. sources have indicated that it is not expected to hit any major setbacks.

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