TAKE ACTION: A Fair Contract for Saturday Night Live’s Editorial Crew!

Post-production workers in the Film Unit of Saturday Night Live have signaled their readiness to strike over frustration with the slow pace of first contract negotiations. The overwhelming majority of the performers, artists, and craftspeople who make SNL have long enjoyed union representation, but a team of about twenty freelance editorial employees who assemble the show’s pre-recorded segments have historically been hired non-union. SNL’s editors work long hours in a stressful environment to get the show’s filmed skits ready for the screen on a highly compressed schedule. Last year, NBC Universal agreed to recognize the crew’s decision to organize with the Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700), but the sides remain far apart on the terms for a deal as the clock winds down on this season. Local 700 asks for allies in the labor community and for fans of the show to sign a petition urging NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell to expedite negotiations.