UPDATED: Saturday Night Live editorial crew plans strike for April 1, first in show's history
Those involved in SNL's post-production editing announce the strike as contract negotiations stall
Through the Motion Picture Editors Guild, members of Saturday Night Live’s editorial crew have announced their plan to strike on April 1 as contract negotiations stall.
Negotiations with NBCU via the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) started back in October, with union members focusing on health care benefits and pay inequity. Without a viable decision reached months later, 12 to 20 SNL editing team members threaten to halt work completely. The striking members would specifically comprise those involved in editing the pre-taped bits, such as Please Don’t Destroy’s sketches and the commercial spoofs.
The talking points for the contract are familiar, with employees looking for pay that closer resembles industry standards, as well as pay increases that match cost of living hikes. According to a press release from the Editor’s Guild, the SNL editorial crew members are paid far below industry standards, and much less than their SNL counterparts. NBCU’s offered remedies have failed to address these gaps in pay.
Additionally, NBCU has sought to implement a “two-tiered” health insurance system that could mean fewer benefits for future employees. One big stinker of proposal comes in the form of a “management’s rights” clause that would allow the company to “unilaterally change workplace rules and policies” and subcontract work, weakening the union’s collective bargaining power.