Nearly three months into the Writers Guild of America work stoppage, the union—alongside its counterparts at SAG-AFTRA—has filed a labor grievance against NBCUniversal the federal National Labor Relations Board. According to a filing obtained by THR, both guilds suggest construction at the NBCUniversal lot is forcing union members to picket either in or dangerously close to the street.
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According to the complaint, picketers have been forced to “patrol in busy streets with significant car traffic where two picketers have already been struck by a car and by refusing to provide K-rail barriers to establish pedestrian walkways for picketers to use after Los Angeles Police Department advised the employer weeks ago in the interest of public safety to do so.”
The complaint filing also comes just hours after a row of trees near the studio was drastically trimmed over the weekend, removing shade strikers used to rest. The trimming of the trees became a mega-viral tweet Monday evening.
In the SAG-AFTRA filing, it’s said picketers have had to patrol “an unsafe crowded location, exacerbating the dire public safety situation to interfere with striking members’ right to engage in the protected, concerted activity of picketing and patrolling outside the employer’s premises during a lawful strike.”
In a statement the trade obtained from the studio, NBCUniversal says it has “successfully fulfilled” any legal obligations in relation to the ongoing strike.
“We are aware of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA complaints,” the studio’s response reads. “We strongly believe that the company has fulfilled our legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and we will cooperate with respect to any inquiries by the National Labor Relations Board on this issue. While we understand the timing of our multi-year construction project has created challenges for demonstrators, we continue to work with public agencies to increase access. We support the unions’ rights to demonstrate safely.”
With no end in sight for a resolution so far, recent reports suggest studios are willing to hold off on any negotiations until later this fall.
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Protesters walk the picket line at the SAG-AFTRA strike at Paramount Studios on October 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. -
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 01: Protesters join the picket line outside Walt Disney Studios on November 01, 2023 in Burbank, California. SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14, 2023 and has not yet reached a deal with AMPTP, the trade association representing the Hollywood Studios. -
Protesters walk the picket line at the SAG-AFTRA strike at Paramount Studios on October 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
