TheWrap
Insiders tell TheWrap that
Ryan Seacrest Productions has yet to contact the union since their demand for
negotiations on Tuesday
The striking “Shahs of Sunset”
post-production crew will soon see their numbers swell.
Individuals with knowledge of
the situation told TheWrap that actors’ union SAG-AFTRA
issued a call Friday afternoon for their members to join IATSE and allies on
the picket line.
Ryan Seacrest Productions, which
produces “Shahs” for Bravo, has yet to respond to the union's letter on Tuesday
in which it demanded negotiations.
Representatives for RSP and
SAG-AFTRA didn't immediately respond to TheWrap's requests for comment.
Since shutting down production
on Wednesday and picketing in front of RSP on Thursday, the striking workers
have forced Bravo to push the
premiere for “Shahs” to a later date. It had previously set Oct.
13 debut date for the show on Tuesday — before the strike occurred.
According to the Motion
Picture Editors Guild, “Shahs” employees have overwhelmingly signed cards
authorizing IATSE to negotiate on their behalf.
On Tuesday, the union sent
Berne Productions, Inc., a Ryan Seacrest
Productions subsidiary and the crew's employer, a letter requesting an
immediate start to contract talks. After having received no response from the
employer, the crew walked off the job on Wednesday morning.
“What we're striking for is health coverage
and pension payments,” Motion Picture Editors Guild president, Alan Heim,
A.C.E., told TheWrap.
“Reality television is getting to be more and more a field that many of our
members work in and we have to fight back against non-union shops.”
As more nonfiction and
entertainment employees search out union representation, there have been a
series of high-profile work stoppages by production and post-production reality
television crews in the IATSE's ongoing campaign to unionize the genre.
Less than a month ago, a
similar strike succeeded in winning a contract for employees of
CBS's “Survivor.”
Other members of nonfiction
and alternative programming have also sought union organization, such as the
writers on E!'s “Fashion Police.”
THE WRAP TV
No comments:
Post a Comment