Background
For more than seven years, the off-camera employees at Portland’s KOIN-TV worked without a contract while attempting to negotiate with their new owners, Nexstar Media. During that time, workers went years without raises as negotiations repeatedly stalled.
The dispute eventually became one of the most significant labor battles in broadcast television. The National Labor Relations Board sought a 10(j) injunction in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, forcing Nexstar back to the bargaining table. The company was ultimately found guilty of committing multiple unfair labor practices, including refusing to bargain in good faith and disparaging its employees. Even after losing at both the NLRB and the Ninth Circuit, Nexstar continued delaying negotiations through additional appeals.
The workers’ union, NABET-CWA, faced a difficult communications challenge. The legal battle was lengthy, technical, and difficult for the workforce and the public to follow. The union needed a way to explain seven years of negotiations, legal victories, and corporate misconduct in a format that would educate members, build solidarity, and engage the broader community.
Services Provided
Strategic Communications • Creative Campaign Development • Campaign Branding • Visual Storytelling • Member Education • Print & Poster Design • Social Media Content • Organizing Materials • Labor Campaign Strategy
Catalyst
Rather than producing another traditional union flyer or legal timeline, Catalyst Campaigns transformed the seven-and-a-half-year labor dispute into a creative storytelling campaign inspired by Star Wars.
The centerpiece was a meticulously researched 12-panel illustrated storyboard that translated the complex legal battle into an entertaining and accessible narrative. Princess Carrie (Local 51 President Carrie Biggs Adams) confronted the Death Star (Nexstar) at shareholder meetings. Jabba the Hutt represented Nexstar gobbling up media properties through relentless acquisitions, including Food Network, WGN, and The CW. Workers’ frozen wages became Han Solo trapped in carbonite.
Designed to resemble a graphic novel rather than a traditional union flyer, the artwork was printed as collectible-style movie posters that workers were proud to display. Produced in both 11×17 and 24×36 formats, the posters appeared throughout KOIN-TV, were distributed at labor events across Portland, adapted into a social media series, and shared with NABET-CWA members at Nexstar stations nationwide. The campaign transformed a complex legal battle into an engaging, memorable story that educated workers, built solidarity, and inspired organizing across the company’s workforce.
Outcome
The campaign became a rallying point for workers and allies. Employees proudly displayed the posters throughout KOIN-TV, while AFL-CIO affiliates embraced them as a creative organizing tool at labor events across Portland. The campaign generated significant earned media, including a 1,500-word feature in the Portland Mercury that brought the workers’ story to a broader audience.
Most importantly, the campaign helped transform an incredibly complicated labor dispute into a story workers could understand, share, and rally around. It strengthened solidarity, educated members, expanded public awareness, and kept pressure on Nexstar throughout the negotiations.
After more than seven years of stalled bargaining and repeated legal victories, KOIN-TV employees returned to meaningful negotiations and ultimately secured the path to a long-awaited union contract—demonstrating how creative storytelling can become a powerful organizing tool in even the most complex labor campaigns.
