ATLANTA, GA — Last week, more than 200 people that made up the crew of NBC’s “Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge” stood together for a union contract – and they got it!

Their IATSE contract includes wages and benefits from  date-of-hire, with a 10-hour daily minimum (8 hours during prep and wrap), excluding meal periods. Other enhanced provisions included a 10-hour daily turnaround and weekend  turnaround, compounding meal penalties, stronger cancellation of call language, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a holiday, and triple time after 15 hours worked. Benefits were felt almost immediately, as the crew worked on Good Friday and was paid double time for the holiday, something they would not have received if the show had not been brought under contract.

The second season of this physical competition show was shooting non-union in Atlanta. Eager to organize such a large production, IATSE members reported “Spartan” to their local unions early in pre-production. The contract for the large crew was reached after IATSE members and representatives worked together in calling in the job, walking a picket line, and negotiating the contract.

After the groundwork had been laid and authorization for representation cards had been collected, a picket line went up before dawn and a crew of more than 200 people did not report for work. Negotiations began immediately; Locals 479, 600 and the IATSE negotiated with the company for 12 hours. During this time, members and representatives of Locals 798, 600, and 479 walked the picket line hour after hour in the sweltering Georgia sun. Production was shut down all day.

Eager to get their evening shift back, a deal was finally reached and the night crews returned to work on a union production.

Wherever you work in the U.S., call in your non-union jobs. Union jobs mean better working conditions, better pay, and better benefits. Organizing makes us stronger!