Staffers at A+E’s reality television division voted to join the Writers Guild of America East in Wednesday’s National Labor Relations Board election, nearly two years after they announced their organizing efforts.
The elections witnessed the participation of 84% of more than 140 qualified workers Vote to join the New York-based WGA East. A+E Factual Studios, owned by Hearst and Disney, produces titles including: Dance Moms: A New Era, History’s greatest secrets, Cold case files and Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
The negotiation unit ranges from about 50 to 100 products, depending on the number of projects currently underway.
“We are thrilled to welcome the staff of A+E Factual Studios to the Writers Guild of America East,” Michael Rauch, vice president of film, television and streaming at WGA East, said in a statement about the vote. “We look forward to negotiating a fair first contract that reflects the value of their work, and continues to build on the momentum they have built across reality television production.”
Hollywood Reporter I have reached out to A+E for comment.
When the folks at A+E Factual Studios first announced their organizational push, they cited this ““Strict shifts and unrealistic expectations from network executives” as well as heavy workloads were cited as motivations for the move. The group sought to allegedly improve working conditions, raise wages, establish portable health insurance that they could bring to other jobs and institute “stronger anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies.”
But while the union requested voluntary recognition, the company did not respond to this request. Instead, the company argued that employment agency Atrium, which a union source said served as the payroll company in this case, was the workers’ employer. The case moved to the NLRB, where the regional director determined that A+E Factual Studios was the employer.
WGA East has long been active in organizing the unscripted space. Current production companies joining the labor group include Story Syndicate, Sharp Entertainment, Jigsaw Productions, McGee Media, Vice, Vox Entertainment and NBC News Service.
