Production Assistants to get $10M from CBS for OT Settlement

To get their foot in the door, production assistants have been putting up with crazy work schedules on set for decades now in hopes of climbing the ranks in their field. However, there is nothing glamorous about working 12+ hour days and earning less than minimum wage. Most production assistants earn a day rate starting work hours before “call time” and working way after the crews on set wrap up. Positions such as production assistants and other entry level positions at publishing houses, glossy magazines, and consulting groups are most often affected.

Recently, more than 900 production assistants for CBS and affiliated production companies agreed to resolve a class action for almost $10 million that claimed they did not pay overtime to movie and television set workers. More specifically, the settlement covers parking production assistants that would safeguard areas from the public that would be filmed the following day. These parking production assistants were paid a set day rate instead of an hourly wage required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) leaving them without overtime pay when working over 40 hours in a week.

This overtime settlement with CBS on behalf of parking production assistants is not the first. A recent wave of wage lawsuits have hit the industry with ABC Studios and Marvel Television Inc. settling a case for 500 parking production assistants for $1.75 million this past December. If you or anyone you know holds or has held a job title of a production assistant or a similar entry level assistant position at a production company, magazine, or publishing house and is unsure about their pay structure, please have them call one of our experienced attorneys for a free phone consultation. Fitapelli & Schaffer is committed to fighting for the rights of hardworking individuals. You can reach us at (212) 300-0375 or visit our website here.