New York, NY -
In an
unprecedented show of unity, Parking Production Assistants in New York
City voted unanimously to join the Communications Workers of America,
Local 1101.
Over 400 ballots were received by the National Labor Relations Board and counted on Monday for six separate elections for Parking Production Assistants (PPAs) employed by ABC, CBS, NBC TV, NBC
Cable, HBO, and SONY. The decision was loud and clear: all PPAs voted “yes” to unionizing.
"This
vote was about dignity, about humanity,” said Lanere Rollins, a PPA who
spoke last month at the National Action Network’s Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day celebration about the organizing efforts.
“Film and TV productions couldn't happen without us, but PPAs have been
on the bottom rung of the entertainment industry for a long time. Not
one PPA in the city voted ‘no’ for the union, because we're stepping up
to demand the respect and fair treatment
that we deserve.”
PPAs,
who are predominantly low-wage workers of color, secure parking in the
New York City area for film and television productions, usually arriving
12 to 24 hours prior to production and working
through the night in their personal vehicles to ensure that parking
spaces are secured for production vehicles and equipment. The work
requires PPAs to spend long hours alone, overnight, usually without
access to a bathroom, and risk violent altercations with
drivers seeking parking. They were also the only group of workers in
the multi-billion dollar film and television industry who were not
unionized prior to today’s vote count.
“I’m
very pleased to welcome Parking Production Assistants to the CWA
family,” said Dennis Trainor, Vice President of CWA District One.
“These workers have been struggling for far too long to
make ends meet in unfathomable working conditions, and today’s
unanimous vote is a historic moment for both CWA and the hard-working
men and women who help ensure that the City’s film industry can
function.”
The
campaign to organize the city’s more than 800 PPAs picked up steam in
recent months as the PPAs gained support from NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio,
Rev. Al Sharpton, the New York State NAACP, Martin
Luther King III, NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, and many others - a
strong demonstration of New York City’s commitment to its labor force.
“I'm so
proud of the work we've done to get here,” said Ms. Rollins after the
vote count was completed. “And proud to be a CWA member!"
The Communications Workers of America represents 700,000 working men
and women in telecommunications, customer service,
media, airlines, public service and manufacturing. District One
represents more than 150,000 workers in New York, New Jersey, New
England, and eastern Canada.
Source: Mercury
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