Workers at WGME-TV in Portland are going public with their protest about salaries, hoping to ramp up the pressure as they negotiate a new contract.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1837, which represents about 50 workers, organized an informational picket Monday on Washington Avenue near the corner of Allen Avenue. Photographers, news producers, directors, news editors, assignment editors, operating technicians and others are seeking better pay and working conditions in collective bargaining with Sinclair Broadcast Group.

An information picket is not a strike, but informs the public about the dispute from employees’ perspective. The union said it set up the picket because Sinclair has agreed to meet just once since early September. Other negotiating sessions were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday this week, said Kaitlyn Hegarty, the union local’s business representative. The current contract expires Saturday.

A spokesperson for Sinclair did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment about negotiations with the IBEW.

The union cited the rising cost of living in Portland, including housing and “everyday expenses,” that it says has “added urgency” to its push for higher wages and improved benefits. “Many employees face the tough reality that they can’t afford to live in the communities” they serve, the union said.

Hegarty said salaries on average are between $21 and $23 an hour and range from as little as $18 an hour to as much as $30 an hour.

IBEW Local 1837 represents more than 1,600 workers across Maine and New Hampshire in industries including broadcasting and utilities.

In the previous contract negotiations, WGME employees authorized a strike that was averted when the union and company agreed to a three-year deal raising wages at least 7% in 2022 and 5% over the following two years.