Staff at Garden Slate Productions, which produces Food Network’s long-running series The Kitchen, have landed their first union contract.
The company has struck a deal with the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) that will include immediate raises for production assistants and increased health benefits for staff.
It comes more than two years after workers at the unscripted production company, which was previously known as BSTV, before rebranding as part of a deal earlier this year, unionized with the WGAE.
Earlier this year, staff at the company said that, in response to union proposals, the company “intimidated and retaliated against union-supporting workers while pushing out, demoting, and firing multiple union leaders despite their years of excellent performance and exemplary records on the job”.
But this group has now reached a three-year contract that covers many titles under production, along with rarely unionized positions such as set PAs and food stylists, which is particularly pertinent for a group that has made around 500 episodes of a kitchen-based cooking series for the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable network.
The contract was unanimously ratified by the approximately 30-member bargaining unit.
One of the other areas of interest was the fact that the WGAE and Garden Slate Productions reached rehire protection language that the former calls “groundbreaking” as it addresses the issue of frequent short-term employment contracts. In practice, this means that it gives employees who worked the previous season first preference to return in following seasons and former employees who haven’t worked in two years can also request to be considered for open seasons and their past service will be considered.
Elsewhere, production assistants will receive a 2% increase to the minimum rates in years two and three of the contract, the company will make healthcare contributions on behalf of each employee per day worked, as well as a flexible benefits plan that allows unscripted workers to carry a health fund balance from gig to gig, even when unemployed or employed by a different employer, 12 paid holidays and up to five paid sick days annually as well as three paid bereavement days after four weeks worked.
Garden Slate Productions becomes the latest unscripted production company to include WGAE members following the likes of A+E Factual Studios, ITV America, Jigsaw, Lion, Lucky 8, McGee Media, NBC News Service, RadicalMedia, Sharp, Story Syndicate and Vox Entertainment.
The Garden Slate Productions Bargaining committee said, “We’re so proud of our first contract, which among other wins for producers, art department and culinary workers, organized production assistants into the union and boosted their pay. The contract also establishes rehire protections for all members, which are sorely needed in a freelance industry. Our achievement is one part of a larger, industry-wide effort to win respect and sustainable conditions for the highly skilled and profitable work we all do.”
The company is run by Maggie Barnes and Brett Stolnick, who said in a statement that they are “pleased” to have reach an agreement with the “WGAE that reflects our long-standing commitment to providing leading wages and benefits, as well as a collegial and supportive work environment, to our valued employees”.
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