Writers, producers, stylists, and other workers on 'Trisha’s Southern Kitchen' and 'The Kitchen' are forming a union with the Writers Guild of America, East.
of workers in the industry found that more than 80 percent of those who worked in nonfiction television lacked health insurance, and a vast majority reported working overtime without pay. Holtz hopes that unionizing at BSTV will help inspire union efforts at other food TV shows and throughout nonfiction TV. “We’re part of a largely unorganized sector in television, so we hope that we’re providing an example and can work with people at other shows to continue this trend.
Holtz points out that writers, producers, stylists, and other workers on food shows are bringing highly specialized skills to the table, and deserve to be compensated for that work. In addition to producing the television show, they also have to be culinary experts. “Making sure that the food is all prepared, looks really good, and comes out on time in the midst of a really tight schedule requires a lot of hard work and skillful preparation,” they said.
That labor has also made television studios and networks a lot of money as food TV shows of all kinds have. But despite the increased demand, Holtz says that workers haven’t been compensated adequately. “The demand for food content has exploded over the last 10 years, and it’s become really profitable. But we haven’t seen the treatment of the skilled workers who make that content get better as their skills have become more valuable,” Holtz says.
In the coming months, the union plans to fight for fair pay, and pay transparency so that they can ensure all their members are being paid fairly. “BSTV has used individual salary negotiations to under-compensate our expertise and pit us against one another,” the union wrote in a letter delivered to management last week. “As a union, we stand in solidarity with the lowest paid workers, who include women of color, to demand fair rate minimums for all.
Disclosure: Vox Media’s editorial team, which includes Eater, is also unionized with the Writers Guild of America, East.Thanks for signing up!Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.
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