It’s not every day we see the star of one of a network’s biggest shows publicly calling the network out on social media, but that’s exactly what Chicago Fire witnessed this weekend.
On Saturday, August 8, David Eigenberg took to Instagram to rally behind the PA Union and call out NBC for its reported treatment of the production assistants following the ratification of their unions earlier this summer.
“It is a shame that you have gone after our hard-working PA Union. These people have worked so hard and for so little all these generations, and they ask for a little something, and you stick it to them. I hope for your sake they don’t go on strike. You’re gonna have a problem that you created,” Eigenberg wrote on his Instagram Stories, sharing a post from the Production Assistants United account.
Eigenberg’s comments come on the heels of reports that Chicago Fire and Chicago Med production assistants have been losing guaranteed work hours following the ratification of their labor contract.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, production assistants on both shows had previously been guaranteed 12- and 14-hour days, which would provide workers with overtime pay in addition to their standard hourly wages. However, after the union ratified, those guarantees disappeared, which has led to a 43% decline in production assistants’ take-home pay on Chicago Fire.
The report also alleges that when union reps reached out to NBCUniversal about the sudden change, they were informed that the previous guarantees would not be restored and that the new expense of paying into the union health plan was the cause of the decision. Union representatives have indicated that this is a violation of federal labor laws in place that are designed to protect workers from employers changing terms and conditions without bargaining with the union.
The union has been vocally calling out NBCUniversal over their actions with banners and a Scabby the Rat inflatable going up near production and a strong social media campaign underway. While the union has been actively organizing in pushing back against the network, the casts of the shows have not weighed in directly until now, with Eigenberg becoming the first core One Chicago star to speak out in support of the PA union.
It’ll be interesting to see if others follow suit in throwing support behind the PA union, but it speaks a lot to Eigenberg’s character that he has used his larger platform to promote the union’s messages and take a firm stance in standing with the production assistants. He is also correct in noting that a strike would not be good and could create a lot of complications.
Production assistants are the unsung heroes on a set, and there is no telling how the seasons will be impacted if a strike occurs as a result of NBCUniversal's apparent actions.
Add us as a preferred source on Google