100 TV Workers Go On Strike In Calabasas
CALABASAS (CBS) — Roughly one hundred workers for the NBC-TV show "The Biggest Loser" were on strike Monday in an effort block non-union employees from going to work, union officials said.
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KNX 1070's John Brooks Reports From Calabasas
Stage workers belonging to IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, have gone on strike against three production companies that tape the NBC series at a ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains.
All of the show's production workers have voted for union representation, but the three companies have reportedly replaced them with non-union workers, despite the fact that the three production companies have already signed contracts with the Directors Guild of America and AFTRA, according to IATSE officials.
"This is a top-rated prime-time television show, and the crew remains unified," said IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb last week, when the strike was announced.
In a statement released Sunday, IATSE said it will "vigorously encourage these workers not to cross its 100-plus member picket line on Monday morning."
Spokespersons for the production companies, Reveille Productions, 25/7 Productions and 3 Ball Productions, could not be reached Sunday.
The workers were picketing on Mullholland Highway just east of Las Virgenes Road.
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