Nonfiction TV producers at the companies behind unscripted series 90 Day Fiancé, To Catch a Smuggler and The Food That Built America have ratified new union contracts.
Writers Guild of America East members at Stamford, Conn.-based Lucky 8 unanimously ratified their first union contract on Thursday, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Lucky 8 produces shows including Marines, To Catch a Smuggler, The Food That Built America, 60 Days In and Booked: First Day In.
Producers in the bargaining unit will gain minimum wage rates, generative AI regulations and rehire and successorship contract language as part of the deal. Union members will be eligible for the Entertainment Industry Benefit Plan (Flex Plan), a health plan that creative freelancers can bring with them from job to job, as part of the agreement.
The union also negotiated “right to disconnect” language, establishing that staffers do not have to respond to work communications outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. or on days off unless messages are described as urgent.
The WGA East’s Lucky 8 bargaining committee said in a statement, “The best shows come from strong teams, not just strong ideas. This contract acknowledges that the people doing the work are the backbone of the process. When you invest in the team, you elevate everything that ends up on screen.”
On the same day, WGA East members employed by Manhattan-based Sharp Entertainment also unanimously ratified their third collective bargaining agreement. Sharp Entertainment is best known for producing 90 Day Fiancé and spinoff series like Before the 90 Days and 90 Day: Bares All.
The bargaining unit of producers and associate producers gained minimum rate increases, a four percent annual wage bump for staffers who work more than 200 days with the company and a boost to the employer’s health plan contribution in the negotiations. The new contract also establishes vacation payouts and weekly kit fees for employees who work in the field.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Lucky 8 and Sharp Entertainment for comment.
After making headway in the nonfiction television space for more than a decade, the WGA East is continuing its push to organize reality TV- and documentary-focused production companies. On April 11 the union hosted a nonfiction TV workers summit at District Council 37 in New York that covered the state of the industry and the WGA East’s organizing strategy in the field.
Beyond Lucky 8 and Sharp Entertainment, the WGA East also represents workers at nonfiction-focused companies Garden Slate Productions, ITV America, Jigsaw, McGee Media, NBC News Studios, RadicalMedia, Story Syndicate and Vox Entertainment.
“These newly-ratified contracts reflect what workers across the industry deserve — fair pay, real protections, and stability in an unpredictable work environment,” said WGA East vp of film, television and streaming Michael Rauch. “Lucky 8’s first contract, and Sharp’s third, show that organizing works, and the energy we saw at this weekend’s summit makes clear that workers are ready to keep building.”
