The Alex Gibney-founded nonfiction manufacturing firm Jigsaw Productions has voluntarily acknowledged a union with the Writers Guild of America, East, the union introduced on Tuesday because it continues to increase its nonfiction footprint.
The Jigsaw Productions union covers 50 freelance workers in roles together with affiliate producer, co-producer, subject producer, phase producer, put up producer and others that the union didn’t determine. Unionizing workers previously advocated for producers, showrunners, manufacturing managers and manufacturing accountants to be included, however not all titles that the union initially hoped to hitch the bargaining unit have been in the end included.
Jigsaw Organizing Committee member Hannah Smith mentioned in an announcement, “We, the Jigsaw freelancers, are moved by this announcement. As one of many leaders in documentary filmmaking, Jigsaw Productions has been a vessel for our inventive aspirations. We’re thrilled to start our subsequent step: negotiating a robust contract that may assist result in change throughout our business.”
Jigsaw Productions co-owner Gibney added in his personal assertion, “We, at Jigsaw Productions are delighted to work with the WGAE and the freelance workers to attempt to provide you with a contract that may develop into a mannequin for the non-fiction business to observe.”
Following freelancers employed by the corporate saying {that a} majority had signed union playing cards in Could, the group has mentioned that the first considerations they need to handle in unionizing are range and inclusion, pay, credit and fostering extra sustainable working circumstances. Unionizing workers even have mentioned they have been impressed by Jigsaw’s personal content material — because the producer of investigative titles like HBO’s The Crime of the Century and The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley and Netflix’s Easy methods to Repair a Drug Scandal — to endeavor to make modifications internally. “Recognizing our union is a chance for @JigsawProds to align its model and inside enterprise practices to the progressive values they present of their content material,” the Jigsaw Freelancers Union account tweeted in July.
Whereas unionizing workers have been in talks with Jigsaw Productions, the Jigsaw Freelancers Union Twitter account shared testimonials from what it mentioned have been nameless freelancers on the firm, talking about range considerations, promotions and lengthy working hours. The account tweeted at one level that Jigsaw adheres to a “flat-rate” mannequin the place staff should not paid for time beyond regulation or engaged on the weekends, and that the corporate had not agreed to a five-day work week. (Working hours and wage battles aren’t unusual within the non-union nonfiction area: 85 p.c of respondents to a Nonfiction “Union” survey of nonfiction and documentary tv staff in 2020 mentioned that they had labored time beyond regulation and weekends with out time beyond regulation pay within the earlier 5 years.) “We love our work, however the nature of manufacturing shouldn’t be exploitation,” the account tweeted. Jigsaw Productions didn’t reply to The Hollywood Reporter‘s request for remark.
WGA East govt director Lowell Peterson mentioned in an announcement that this union presents “a chance to work with the corporate to deal with office considerations there and to show that there are alternate options to the exploitive circumstances that prevail within the nonfiction TV business.” Peterson added, “Audiences watch increasingly nonfiction content material on tv and on SVOD, and the individuals who create that content material advantage higher pay, hours, advantages, and circumstances – and a extra equitable and inclusive surroundings at their workplaces and of their careers. We welcome the freelance workers at Jigsaw to this effort and to the WGAE.”
The WGA East, now led as soon as extra by non-fiction author Michael Winship, has been steadily organizing nonfiction retailers for a few decade. Lion TV, Sharp Leisure, Vox Leisure, Vice, NBC Information Service and ITV Kirkstall/Leftfield now all have WGA East retailers. The union says on its web site that “the highest precedence for the Nonfiction Marketing campaign is new organizing at extra manufacturing corporations — particularly these corporations that work on programming for streaming platforms like Netflix.”
