The union that represents the ALL MY CHILDREN crew thinks the soap may be underpaying its members, according to a story on TheWrap.com.The issue is between production company Prospect Park and the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 52. Representatives from IATSE are going over the production's books to see if AMC has gone over budget and violated a labor agreement in the process, according to an individual with knowledge of the union's plans.
When Prospect Park revived the canceled ABC program for the web this year, it hammered out a deal with the union that allowed it to pay members less than the standard day rate as long as it did not spend more than $125,000 per episode. The union believes that on certain episodes, ALL MY CHILDREN may have more than doubled that figure.
A spokesperson for Prospect Park was adamant that the budget of each episode was well below $100,000.
If the production is found to have gone over budget, that could trigger tens of thousands of dollars in back pay to union members. It also may mean that Prospect Park will have to shoulder additional costs, such as travel expenses for crew members, that it was able to forgo as a result of its reduced budget.
The union believes that Prospect Park's decision to broadcast episodes of ALL MY CHILDREN on FX Canada also violates its contractual agreement to only release episodes on the internet during the nine months after they are produced. Crew members also will be compensated if Prospect Park did indeed violate the contract.
The article does not address any ONE LIFE TO LIVE labor issues even thought it also aired on FX Canada.
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