Unionized workers denounce “union busting”

Dozens of postproduction workers employed by Paramount Global are protesting their impending layoffs in a letter to management, claiming the employer is engaging in “union turnover.”

As deep staff cuts plague the conglomerate as it moves forward with its plan to cut $500 million in costs, employees at Paramount's Digital Post Services unit delivered a letter Oct. 28 to the company's vice president and chief technology officer Phil Wiser on the impending elimination of their department. The 38 employees, unionized with the Motion Picture Editors Guild, were informed in late September that their positions would be furloughed effective Dec. 31, according to the labor group.

Calling the move a “betrayal,” the staff members wrote that, on the day they were informed of the layoffs, work orders that previously would have been fulfilled internally had been prepared to be sent to other vendors. “We all felt caught by surprise and asked ourselves the lingering question…why?” we read in the letter. “We can only describe what you have done as 'union busting'. The irony is that all of this comes on the heels of recent industry strikes that halted so much work, followed by our own ratification of the contract, a successful effort aimed at keeping the industry thriving. In all conscience we cannot remain without a voice.”

The affected personnel work in editorial, audio, color grading, quality control, digital duplication, digital restoration and data management.

In June, Paramount's three co-CEOs announced a major cost-cutting initiative that would take place over the remainder of the year in response to declining profits. A spokesperson for Paramount Global said in a statement to The Hollywood journalist that the company is “not immune to the dynamics of our industry as we all navigate the evolving media landscape.” The spokesperson noted that as Paramount prepares for the future, “we are also called upon to make difficult decisions that impact colleagues who have made valuable contributions.” The representative added, “We are grateful for everything they have done for Paramount Global.”

In an interview, MPEG national executive director Cathy Repola says Paramount initially told staff and the union that the department would be closed for “cost-saving purposes,” which “means to me that labor it will be sent elsewhere. ” (A union spokesperson says Paramount later expanded its arguments in favor of eliminating the unit.) Employees denounced the union's destruction because they perceive the move as “an effort to get rid of the union department and send it to potentially non-organizing entities,” adds Repola.

Repola says the union wasn't initially given the opportunity to bargain over eliminating the department, but after “many heated letters from me to labor relations,” the two parties scheduled a meeting to discuss the move.

Overall, Repola members – along with many members of the U.S. crew workforce – have weathered considerable professional turbulence in recent years. Work on union projects largely stopped during the dual writers' and actors' strike in 2023, and production never fully recovered, even as IATSE negotiated a new contract with film and television employers, avoiding his own work stoppage this year. Repola says he has heard of members who lost their health insurance, were unable to pay rent and lost their homes. “It's been a really, really horrible year and a half for so many people. And it hits you in the gut, something like that,” he says. And adds: “We promised our members that we will do absolutely everything within our legal rights to help fight this phenomenon.”

Paramount employees said in their letter that their department has been profitable “year after year.” The post-production workers concluded their message: “We ask you to cancel this action and restore our positions immediately.”

In early July, Shari Redstone approved a deal to sell majority control of Paramount Global to a consortium led by Skydance Media. Pending regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close in 2025.

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