New York TV and Film Post Production Workers Petition NLRB for Union Election

Members of the Post Production Guild-NY/CWA Take the Next Step in their Fight for Recognition with an Outpouring of Support from their Colleagues and Elected Officials

New York, N.Y. — Today, members of the Post Production Guild-New York (PPG-NY), a union representing over 150 freelance post production workers in New York, partnering with the CWA, filed for a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election. The PPG-NY/CWA was forced to take this step after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the entertainment industry's official collective bargaining representative, repeatedly refused to voluntarily recognize the post production employees’ union despite the fact that virtually all of the workers have signed cards in favor of joining CWA.

Post production workers are part of a multi-faceted operation, bridging together all aspects of the filmmaking process. They play a vital role in filmmaking by shepherding the process of turning thousands of hours of raw footage into a polished final product including sound effects, color correction, music, visual effects, and other finished elements that moviegoers expect from the cinematic experience.

“We stand united and committed in our efforts to form a union, and we are ready to take this fight to the next stage,” said Chris Clemente, post production supervisor. “The AMPTP has chosen to take an anti-union position. We remain hopeful that they will recognize our union and value the contributions we make to the industry.”

Members of the PPG-NY/CWA have worked countless hours ensuring that the New York film and television industry thrives; and they continue to deliver superior work for the member companies of the AMPTP. They have done so without consistent or secure benefits, in an industry where an overwhelming majority of their colleagues enjoy protections provided under collective bargaining agreements. Directors, assistant directors, as well as workers in the art departments including costumes, electric, grip, hair and makeup, and other areas all receive benefits denied to post production producers, supervisors, and coordinators.

“My colleagues and I are passionate about what we do, but we are fed up with the lack of union benefits and protections that our counterparts in other departments enjoy,” said Irene Burns, producer.

Members of PPG-NY/CWA have built strong solidarity amongst their colleagues in the industry and garnered broad support from other allies. Nearly 500 members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 700, signed a letter in support of PPG-NY/CWA members’ union recognition effort. The letter also calls on the AMPTP to recognize all post production workers regardless of their supervisory titles, in keeping with the industry’s long established standard. Their letter clearly states that, “[i]f the AMPTP plans to file objections that these post production workers are considered supervisors who would be barred from organizing under the labor board’s rules, we as editors would view this as an alarming change in policy and definition of station. We know these post production workers to be valued and vital members of one department in a highly unionized industry, and fully support their right to collective recognition as a labor group.”

Approximately forty members of the New York City Council have also signed on to a letter calling on the AMPTP to recognize these post production workers and their valuable contributions to the film and television industry in New York. “We are in strong support of the post production employees who want to make these jobs good union jobs. We ask that you reconsider your position, and immediately agree to card check, along with neutrality for the post production employees who are not yet represented. It is our sincere hope that this issue gets resolved quickly before it escalates into an unwanted labor dispute,” the letter reads.

“The post production workers in New York deserve to have a union and a fair contract,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “We will continue to turn up the pressure on the AMPTP to recognize the rights of all post production workers to have a voice on the job.”

“We are encouraged by the overwhelming support we have received from our colleagues in other departments and the film and TV community,” said Sherrell Hodges, post production coordinator.

“We will continue our fight to have our voices represented and guaranteed protections under a bargaining agreement. We hope that the AMPTP accepts our reasonable demands so that we can continue to do the work that we love,” added Jennifer Lane, associate producer.

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postproductionguildny.com @postprodguildNY

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion