During multiple meetings, Arnall suggested that contract negotiations could go years, repeatedly citing an example where a contract negotiation went on as long as “17 years” and “nearly 20 years.” He also argued that union dues and fees could discourage low-salaried, entry level employees from joining MSNBC, and also suggested that the fees could discourage nonwhite candidates from taking jobs at MSNBC (the WGAE has a $500 initiation fee, which new hires can pay in installments once a contract is in place). “It comes with costs and it’s an unknown benefit right now,” he said of the union. He added: “If our entry-level jobs come with...a requirement to write a check, pay a percentage of your salary—I’m desperately concerned that we might be turning away people who might be exactly the people that we want to be the next generation of MSNBC, NBC News employees,” he said, noting the network’s push to diversify staff.