As negotiations for their first contract have hit the skids, postproduction workers at Saturday Night Live are preparing for a strike.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, the union representing these workers — The Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) — described bargaining sessions that haven’t come close to addressing the concerns of the group, a set of 12-20 crew members who primarily work on the show’s pretaped sketches. “NBCU has refused fair compensation, refused to commit to maintaining existing health benefits, & refused to show SNL’s post crew the respect they deserve,” the union, representing the group of film editors, editors, assistant editor and media managers, alleged in their messages. “NBCU wants to shut us up – so we will yell louder. Plan to join us on the picket line April 1st.”
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Just like when this group authorized a strike in late January, this decision to date a potential strike doesn’t necessarily mean one will happen. Unions often use a strike threat to gain leverage in negotiations which, in this case, have stretched on since the group was voluntarily recognized by management in Oct. 2022. NBC and MPEG have future bargaining dates scheduled where the two parties might be able to resolve their differences.
According to one source close to the negotiations, NBC has pledged to have a deal by the end of the month. Says MPEG national executive director Cathy Repola in a statement, “We certainly hope that NBCU is serious about reaching a deal before the end of the month. We’d much rather have a contract than have a picket line come April 1. But it’ll be one or the other.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Saturday Night Live for comment.
The union stated on Thursday that differences have arisen over pay, health benefits and the wording in a “management’s rights” clause that the labor group claims “would strip union employees of their right to negotiate over workplace rules & policies.” (Employers often push for management’s rights clauses in labor contracts, which assert their right to make unilateral changes in the workplace.) The union claims that NBC has not yet agreed to retroactive wage increases, that the wage increases they have proposed are small and that the company has not agreed to “maintenance of current health benefits.
Postproduction workers on the show aired their dissatisfaction over the contract negotiations in January, when the union authorized a strike over what they described as management slow-walking negotiations. “The show works at such a fast pace, we know the company knows how to do things quickly and effectively,” a member of the bargaining unit told THR at the time. “So we want to see that happening on the negotiation side from them.”
March 9, 1:13 p.m. Updated with a statement from Cathy Repola.
